Elemental Harry
by hermyd
Summary: Ginny is setting everything on fire, and Harry is calling down storms and throwing lightning out of his hands. How things would change if Harry's power was something different and he had to learn how to use it along with understanding a mysterious bond.
1. Prologue: An Unexpectedly Eventful Day

It was a typical July day. Albus Dumbledore had been enjoying his tea in his office when a large silver weasel appeared beside him and spoke in the frantic voice of Arthur Weasley. _"Albus, come quickly! Something is wrong with Ginny!"_ Instantly Albus was on his feet and making his way towards the floo. When he stepped out of the fireplace at the Burrow he was met with absolute chaos. There were smouldering fires everywhere, and he could hear screams and the sounds of a struggle coming from outside. Alert and extremely worried, he drew his wand, doused the flames, and proceeded outside.

One of the twins, he was fairly certain it was Fred though one could never be sure, was sitting against the house, breathing heavily and nursing a severe burn on his arm. Ronald Weasley was a few feet away, desperately trying to put out a large bush that had caught fire. But most startling of all was the sight of Molly, Arthur, and George Weasley all surrounding what appeared to be a rather large torch. Albus Dumbledore was bewildered, but he figured explanations could wait until after the crisis had subsided. With a quick flick of his wand, the flames that Ron had been battling died out. Then he advanced on the other three. He moved his wand in an intricate pattern that released a large blue pulse of energy. It coated the surrounding area, preventing any more fires from catching.

However, it did absolutely nothing about the flaming torch.

"Arthur, what _is _that?"

Arthur looked up, relief evident in his eyes when he saw Albus, then he returned his gaze to the unusual torch. "_That_ is Ginny."

Albus' mouth fell open in shock. He blinked at the form of his student who was still aflame. "How did this happen?"

"She woke up this morning screaming because her bed had caught fire," Arthur spoke wearily. "We managed to put it out and calm her down, only to have half the kitchen light up when the twins started teasing her about something at lunch. At that point the flames started to run up and down her arms, seemingly without harming her. We thought it best to get her out of the house until we figured out what was going on." The man drew a weary hand through his disheveled hair. "It was when Fred got burned that she really lost it and…" he motioned towards his flaming daughter. "Nothing we've tried has been able to put her out."

"My word," Albus exclaimed softly. "She's a full elementalist!" Shaking his head, he decided to ponder that turn of events later; now, he needed to calm her down. He moved carefully towards her and spoke in a quiet voice. "Ginny, you must calm down, my girl." The flames seemed to turn in his direction, and he took that to mean she was listening. "I know that this is frightening, but I cannot help you until you calm down. Only you have the power to put out the fires." The flames grew slightly smaller. "Take a deep breath and try and clear your mind of the panic. The flames will obey you, and they are responding right now to your fear."

Gradually, the flames began to disappear, and Ginny Weasley came into view. The flames retreated from her head first, and then her feet. Then her legs came into view and her torso, until only her arms remained fiery. This seemed to be as far as she could go. She looked up desperately at the Headmaster. "They won't go away!"

Albus smiled calmly at her. "That is good enough for now. Why don't we have a seat here and I will try and explain what is happening. Perhaps that will help you to calm down."

Ginny nodded jerkily and clumsily sat down. She sighed in relief when the flames on her arms did not spread when they came in contact with the ground. She looked up, tears into her eyes, to see her family members in various states of distress around her. With a cry, she started to cry and the flames on her arms began to spread again.

"Ginny, you must try to calm down. I know that you are upset about having caused your family pain, but all of this can be fixed." Albus spoke quickly.

Molly Weasley, who until this point seemed to have been too upset for words, gathered herself together. "We'll be fine, Ginny dear. We are all just worried about you."

Ginny wailed, "But what about Fred! I hurt him!"

The young man in question called from his position, "Ah, Gin-Gin, no one blames you. And I'll be just fine. May even help me win over a cute witch. I can tell her how I bravely saved my sister from the flames. Think it will work, Gin-Gin?"

Ginny laughed shakily at her brother, but the flames subsided once more. This time, they retreated to only her forearms.

"Ginny," Albus asked. "Do you know what is happening to you?" Ginny simply shook her head. "It appears that you are a full elementalist, the first that has been seen since the time of Merlin." Ginny's eyes went wide behind her tears. "While I realize how scary this must be for you, we _will _help you learn how to control this."

"What does it mean, Headmaster?"

He smiled at her kindly as the flames retreated to her hands. "It means that you have the innate ability to control an element, in your case, fire. If you can learn to control it, you will be able to use this ability to do magnificent things."

"Could I… could I help Harry win the war?"

Albus' eyes widened, wondering if Harry had shared the prophecy with her. Given Harry's nature it didn't seem likely. Perhaps the young lady was just extremely perceptive. "Yes, my dear. If you can learn to fully control this ability of yours, you will be a remarkable asset to the light. But I must warn you that learning that control will be difficult. You must learn to never lose control of your temper, or your power will once more become unmanageable."

Ginny smiled slightly. "And as I have more than my fair share of the Weasley temper that is going to be difficult." She glanced down at her still flaming hands. With a deep breath and a determined glint in her eyes the flames retreated until there was only a small flame dancing on each palm. "I'll do it, Headmaster."

Albus smiled at her, relieved that she seemed to be controlling the flames instead of their controlling her. An elementalist would indeed be a great asset to the Order. Now he only needed to determine how to help her train, a daunting prospect.

A large silver wolf suddenly materialized in front of him and Nymphadora's voice spoke. _"Albus, you better get to Privet Drive. I think something might be wrong with Harry."_

Albus sighed heavily. Could this day get any worse? Looking up at the concerned face of every Weasley present he tried to convey calm. It would not due to panic young Ginevra. "I'm sure it is nothing. I will go check on Harry, then be back to discuss how to help Ginny with her new power."

Albus made his way quickly to the end of the lane and with a twist of his wand found himself standing in Arabella Figg's parlour. It was empty, but he could hear frantic screaming coming from outside the house. An odd feeling of déjà vu came over him. Walking quickly towards the door, he idly wondered what that strange sound was.

Albus Dumbledore stepped outside and into a full force storm.

The gale force wind threatened to push him back into the house, but he persevered. As he drew closer to the Dursleys' home the wind was joined by loud cracks of thunder and heavy rain. He was forced to crawl the last fifty feet to the house, something his old joints protested, where he found Nymphadora holding desperately to the wall. Her fear filled eyes met his and he saw her mouth move, but the wind prevented him from being able to hear anything she said. He looked up and found that the house seemed to be missing its roof. Alarmed, he prepared to fight his way up into Harry's room. Slowly, the wind died down over them and was replaced by a heavy calm. Albus was alerted to something being even more horribly wrong by Nymphadora's scream of terror.

With a heavy heart, Albus turned around. His eyes grew wide as he watched a small tornado touch down in the middle of the street. What made it worse was the scream that was coming from _inside_ the tornado; he could have sworn that was Harry's voice. The screaming intensified until with a great roar the tornado disappeared and deposited a thoroughly disheveled Harry Potter in the middle of the street. Albus was running towards him the instant he appeared. He fell to his knees beside the boy who was now panting with effort. Albus watched in awe as the storm around them slowly calmed down until the sun could once more be seen in the sky shining down on the ruins of Privet Drive.

Harry's eyes locked on to his. "I think you might have been wrong on what that power is, Professor," he breathed. Then his eyes rolled up into his head and he was dead to the world.

Albus Dumbledore stared around him as people slowly started to make their way out of the ruins of their homes. Then he looked down at the boy who had caused it all. "Bloody hell, two in one day."

The shock of hearing the dignified Headmaster of Hogwarts curse was too much for the already highly traumatised Nymphadora Tonks, and she collapsed in a boneless heap from sheer surprise.

* * *

A/N: AHHH! I'm starting another story! I just couldn't help myself. I actually have quite a bit of this one already written, but I'm trying to write as much of it as possible before posting, as I like the idea of being able to go back and add things that will be important later. This is another super Harry story, and of course it is Harry/Ginny. There will be Horcruxes. Also, I'm using an imprinting that is very similar to that contained in the Twilight novels. This story will be mostly told in first person, which is something I've never tried before so I hope it works. Please let me know what you think.


	2. Chapter 1: Fire Storm

_Note: So I have gotten a lot of reviews and I would like to deal with some issues here so I don't have to keep on saying the same thing. First of all, I realize that Harry seems to accept and understand things quickly in this chapter. It isn't really the case. Sirius was killed a week ago, and he just found out the prophecy; he is on information overload. So for most of this chapter he just accepts things and decides to deal with them later._

_Now, on to the real issue. With the exception of a few critical scenes, this story will be told in first person from Harry's point of view. I realize that this is unusal in Harry Potter stories, so I would like to explain why as many of my readers seem to not like it. First, I have already written a huge portion of this story, so trying to get me to change it is unrealistic at this point. I am not going to rewrite 200 pages because you disagree with my decision. Second, first person point of view is written entirely in past tense. I looked this up, several times, and tried very hard to get it right. I know I probably made a few mistakes, but it was edited by myself and my roommate (who is basically an editing major). Third, there is a very good reason I chose to write the story in first person. (Believe me, I dislike it in general and it is much harder for me to write.) I want this story to unfold with Harry's limited perspective and biases. I realize that this can be accomplished with third person limited, but I also want the story to be told with Harry's commentary and this is just so much easier in first person. There are certain things that are going to be misunderstood because of this as you read the story, and I very much want that to happen. I want you to discover things with Harry, and certain things will only make sense if he is explaining it to you. While I very much value all of your opinions, I just wanted to get this out there so that you understood my motives; I do not make decisions like this lightly._

* * *

_Earlier that morning_

I slowly blinked my eyes open, squinting against the bright light. Strange, I didn't remember opening the curtains, but I can feel the breeze from the open window. I felt around until my hand made contact with my glasses and clumsily put them on. Looking around my room I noticed that Hedwig has disappeared, probably off hunting. She hadn't left my side in nearly a week and must be starving, so I was glad to see that she was finally taking care of herself. I knew she was worried about me—frankly, I was worried about me. I don't know how to deal with the loss of… of Sirius, let alone the bombshell that Professor Dumbledore dropped on my lap last week. Frankly, I'm still convinced the man is delusional. How he can honestly believe that I will have the power necessary to defeat Voldemort baffles me. I've never been remarkable. Hell, one of my best friends beats me in nearly every class without even breaking a sweat. And, honestly, who would believe a prophecy given by the fraud Trelawney anyway? She'd probably had too much cooking sherry that day and was just spouting off nonsense.

I'll never be remarkable and I'll certainly never be powerful enough to take out Voldemort.

"Boy! Get down here!"

Vernon didn't sound happy. The first two days after I got here he ignored me, probably frightened of Mad-Eye Moody—and, let's be honest, who _isn't_ frightened of Moody?—but now he was back to his usual self. I glanced at the clock. It's only six; couldn't he have waited until a decent hour to start on me? Deciding that I should probably get down there before he comes looking for me I climbed out of bed, threw on some clothes, and walked downstairs. Vernon was waiting for me at the foot of the stairs, face already red with anger.

"Yes, Uncle Vernon?" Best not to antagonise him when he looked this angry.

"You're to trim the garden today. Your aunt and I are taking Dudley shopping in the city. I want the whole garden done by the time we get back."

"Yes, Uncle Vernon."

"And don't forget to burn the clippings when you get done."

I nodded. Aunt Petunia was convinced that if someone got a hold of a clipping of one of her flowers they would somehow steal her precious hybrids. She was delusional. Grabbing a piece of toast from the kitchen, I made my way out back. The garden actually didn't need that much work; I had weeded the entire thing only three days ago, but Vernon seemed to have forgotten that. I didn't want to point it out, as if they were really going to be gone all day I might be able to relax for a few hours.

It took me three hours to trim all the flowers and bushes, but at least I wouldn't be at it all day. And the flowers weren't horrible to work with. I actually really liked the lantanas that she had. They were a glorious mixture of red and orange and even gold. Secretly, they reminded me of the riot of colours in Ginny Weasley's hair, but I would never admit that to anyone. I liked looking at her hair, because every time I did I found a new shade of red. It was even better when she wore her hair down and it was free to blow in the wind, though she did it rarely. Not that I could blame her; it must get annoying to have hair constantly in your face.

I shook myself. I really needed to stop thinking about her hair. I was quite frustrated with how often it seemed to be on my mind. I never got lost thinking about Ron's red hair. Of course, his wasn't nearly the shade of Ginny's, and didn't have as much variation in colour. But, whatever the reason was, I had been obsessed with Ginny Weasley's hair since the moment I first saw her. With another mental shake I gathered up all of the clippings and took them back to the porch. Aunt Petunia had carefully instructed me on the only place I was allowed to burn the clippings; there was a small portion of the back porch that was made of large stones, and thus in less danger of catching fire if I were to do something 'unnatural'. I piled the clippings there then headed into the kitchen to get the lighter Aunt Petunia kept in one of the drawers. The trimmings were quickly set on fire and I watched in fascination as they burned. Once again, my mind was drawn to the hair of the youngest Weasley. The flames were brilliant red in colour, and I could practically see her in them. It was fitting that I often associated Ginny with fire. She was a spitfire if I ever saw one, and I loved it; it was nice to have someone who didn't always walk on eggshells around me and wasn't afraid to put me in my place. As I stared at the flames as they consumed the small pile of clippings, I idly began to imagine Ginny in my mind. I often thought that she would look even better if her hair were actually on fire. I knew that was utter nonsense, people just couldn't burst into flame, but the image in my head was amazingly pleasant.

I was startled out of my daydreams by a strong gust of wind. I don't know what is up with the wind today, but it has been acting weird all morning. Maybe I should try and catch the news to see if there was some kind of storm coming. The wind completely blew the flame out, and then swirled around me. Shrugging, I relit the fire until nothing was left but a pile of ash which I quickly swept up. I was looking forward to relaxing for the rest of the day.

I made my way inside and enjoyed a long shower. I usually wasn't allowed one, as Aunt Petunia would shriek at me not to use all the hot water within minutes. Now that they were not here, I fully intended to enjoy my solitude. Following my shower, I went into the kitchen and made myself a large breakfast. Dudley was eating so often these days that, as long as I cleaned up after myself, they would never know that I had eaten anything more than my usual pittance. I then made my way into the front room and flipped on the television. I had only ever been allowed to watch television if Dudley was already watching something and Uncle Vernon wasn't around to kick me out of the room, but Dudley's tastes and mine were so vastly different that I rarely took advantage of that. But now I planned to spend the rest of the day watching whatever I felt like. They so rarely left me home alone. I found myself most interested in a channel that was airing American television shows, as these shows had a lot of attributes I could identify with. I watched the last half of an episode of something called the _X-Files_. It was hilarious, as they were talking about werewolves and were laughably wrong in most of the important points. I would have to tell Remus about this; I'm sure he would find it amusing. The next show was a children's show about mutant ninja turtles, of all things. I felt for the poor things; I knew what it was like to be a freak among freaks.

I thought it was a shame I wasn't as good at hand-to-hand combat as they were. It would be useful.

The next show on was about some genius kid named Dexter. He reminded me eerily of Hermione, and I laughed the whole time as I could see her doing some of the things he did. This was followed by a show called _Power Rangers_. Again, I found myself oddly envious of the characters. They seemed to always come out on top of things, and I had no such hope for myself. I would kill for some of their abilities. I glanced at the clock and decided I would watch one more show before making myself some lunch. Of course, I hadn't counted on ending up brooding in my room because of that show. Who knew that I would have such a strong reaction to a _Lois and Clark_ episode?

Everyone thought of me as some superhero. Couldn't they see that I wasn't and never would be? I didn't have any super powers, and that was glaringly obvious every time I came up against Voldemort or his Death Eaters. The only time I had managed to win was when I was fighting with a decided advantage. I had only really won my second year, and then I was up against a mere memory of him instead of the real thing, and I had Fawkes around to bring me a magical sword and save me at the end. Two weeks ago I hadn't even held my own when I had the decided advantage of holding something that they desperately wanted and were hesitant to cause harm to, and I had managed to get all of my closest friends hurt in the process. There was no way I would ever win against Voldemort himself. Dumbledore was barmy.

Bloody hell, I was back to brooding about the prophecy.

Angry now, I tried punching my pillow to relieve some of the tension. It didn't work. I was getting increasingly frustrated at the expectations everyone seemed to have of me. I just wanted to be a normal kid, but no one would let me. I could feel the anger welling up inside of me, and I looked around frantically for some outlet for it. The last time I had got this angry in this house I had blown up my aunt; I didn't relish something similar happening. I shouldn't have thought of that, as it served to remind me of the so-called family I had that thought I was lower than dirt. Even worse, I could no longer take as much comfort in the thought of my parents. I had seen what my dad was like at my age, and it wasn't a reassuring thought. I curled up on my bed and let the anger and sadness take me. Everything just kept on building in my mind until I could no longer take any more. With a cry of rage, a huge amount of energy exploded out of me.

I was so startled by this turn of events that I simply watched as terrifying winds tore off the roof of the house. For some reason it didn't shock me when I found myself picked up by these winds. I wasn't thrown about, only held above the street as I watched most of the houses sustain a significant amount of damage from the wind swirling and twisting around me. Somehow, I knew that this storm was coming from me. And although this surprised me, I took comfort in it; I finally might actually deserve my superhero status. The next time I had to fight I fully intended on emerging victorious. This thought was accompanied by a staccato series of lightning strikes that impacted the ground around me. With a sigh I realised that I should probably stop the destruction before I hurt someone. There was already going to be hell to pay with the Dursleys for what I had done to their house.

I slowly focused my energy on pulling the wind back. Interestingly enough, it didn't disappear completely, only swirling tightly around me. When I was fairly confident that I had gotten it all I pondered the question of how I was supposed to get down from here. The wind around me solved this problem for me by whirling in even tighter and depositing me on the ground in the middle of the street. Only the wind didn't die down. This wasn't good; I tried pulling it into me, and gradually became aware of its dissipating through the pain my efforts were causing me. It was only as the wind started to die down that I realised I was screaming in agony. I blinked at suddenly finding Professor Dumbledore leaning over me, worry evident on his features.

"I think you might have been wrong on what that power is, Professor," I managed to get out.

Then the world went dark.

* * *

I blinked slowly as the world brightened once more. Everything was blurry, but I expected that. Out of habit my hand reached out towards the bedside table searching blindly for my glasses. Once found, I returned them to my face and looked around. I did not recognise this room. It looked to be a hospital room, but it was not the familiar walls of the Hogwarts Infirmary. I turned in time to see the approaching form of Madam Pomfrey, but this only confused me more. Where was I that wasn't Hogwarts if she was here?

"Good afternoon, Mr. Potter. How are you feeling?"

I took a quick inventory and discovered that the only thing I could say with certainty was that every part of my body hurt. I could barely even move, as it felt like a huge weight was pressing down on me. "Not that great," I told her. She always seemed to hate it when I told her I was fine, so I decided to try something else this time. Not that my present condition could ever be construed as _fine_; I felt remarkably like what I imagined a bludger would feel like after a long game of Quidditch.

"I should imagine not. You took quite a beating." She pulled her wand and ran it along my body, muttering under her breath, before returning her attention to me. "Perhaps it would be easiest if I asked if there was a part of you that _doesn't_ hurt."

I grimaced. "Not that I can find."

"Very well. There really is nothing wrong with you aside from a severe case of magical and physical exhaustion. Sleep is the best cure, but the Headmaster has informed me that it is imperative he speaks with you first." She pulled out a vial of red liquid. "In the meantime, this should help a bit."

She tipped it into my open mouth, and I made a face at the taste; I really was convinced she made them purposely as nasty as she could to discourage kids from getting hurt. It didn't take long for me to feel a bit better. At least I could sit up now. I watched Madam Pomfrey bustle out the door and within seconds Professor Dumbledore came in, looking highly relieved to see me. I guess I probably gave him a horrible fright earlier.

"Hello, Harry. It is marvelous to see you awake." He pulled a chair up to my bed and sat down.

"Thank you. Where exactly am I?"

"You are at Hogwarts."

I looked around, confused. "But this isn't the hospital wing."

"No. Given the circumstances, you needed a special type of room. So we are in the Room of Requirement."

"Why?"

"Why don't we start with what you remember?"

It took me a second to remember the events of this morning; at least I assumed it was still the same day. "The wind… I was trying to control it. And then I pulled it into myself."

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes. I am glad to see you recognised that it was you controlling the wind. Do you know _why_ you were able to do so?" I shook my head. "It would appear that you are a full elementalist, with control over the element of wind and all that entails."

I stared at him. Bugger. "But why only now? How come I couldn't do this before?"

"I do not know. It is possible that you didn't have enough magic to control it before, it might be related to your age, or perhaps there is another explanation. What I do know is that this morning you unleashed a power that nearly leveled Privet Drive. In addition, you surrounded yourself with a tornado which then left you relatively unharmed."

I'll say it again. Bugger. "How many people can do this?"

He stared at me intently before answering. "Until today, the last recorded instance of an elementalist was Merlin himself. However, there is now one other beside yourself." Why did it look to me like he thinks that I seemed to know who it was? How could I? "Before I was called to Privet Drive by Miss Tonks, I was summoned to the Burrow by Arthur Weasley. When I arrived they were putting out numerous fires and attempting to calm down young Ginevra enough that she would stop bursting into flames."

My mind conjured up the image from that morning of Ginny in flames. "No! Not Ginny! Is she okay? Where is she?" I was cursing my useless legs at the moment. Somehow it made complete sense for it to be Ginny, and if I had to choose an element for her I would choose fire. Didn't I always see her in the flames around me? With a feeling of dread I remembered how the wind had suddenly come and blown the fire away this morning as I was imagining Ginny. Did the wind somehow carry it to her? Was it possible that my silly daydreams were responsible for what had happened to her? "Do I have something to do with that? Did I do this to her?"

He looked at me carefully over his glasses. "Why would you think that, Harry?"

"This morning, I was burning some clippings for my aunt, and while I was watching the fire I was thinking how much it looked like Ginny's hair." I looked down, blushing. I can't believe I had to tell him about my obsession with her hair. "I was daydreaming about what she would look like with her hair aflame, then a gust of wind came and suddenly put the fire out." I looked up at him, desperate. "Could I have done this to her?" I knew it didn't seem very logical, but it didn't stop me from worrying.

Dumbledore put a hand over mine that lay on the bed. "I do not think so, dear boy. And even if somehow you called this power to her, I do not think she will blame you."

"How can you say that? She got hurt because of me." I looked around, confirming what I already knew—I was the only one in this room. "How badly did she get burned? Is she going to be okay?"

He laughed quietly. I didn't see how this was in any way funny, and I glared at him. "Harry, Ginny is perfectly all right."

That made no sense. "But you just told me she burst into flames."

"Yes." He had an amused look on his face, which didn't soften my glare any. "Did the wind hurt you this morning?"

"Of course. Why else am I here?"

"You are here because you were fighting for control and it was too much for you. But the wind picked you up, wrapped a tornado around you, and did not harm you. Ginny was unharmed by the flames; your element can never harm you."

I breathed a sigh of relief. I couldn't have lived with myself if I had hurt Ginny like that. I didn't need to be causing harm to anyone else I cared about. "Where is she? Why isn't she here with me?"

"Miss Weasley did not suffer the kind of damage you did. She was unaware that she had control over the flames until I arrived, and I was then able to calm her down until they became more manageable. You, on the other hand, reined the storm in entirely on your own and without any real knowledge of how to do so. It was a great strain on both your body and your magic." He gestured around the room. "We are here because it is protected from the elements. I did not want something similar happening to you again, so I thought it best to protect you from the possibility."

I nodded. I guess that made sense. "So what now? How do I learn to control this?" For I knew I must. I wasn't safe to be around until I do; I didn't want to hurt anyone else.

"That, indeed, is the question. Because there has not been an elementalist in so long, all information we have about them has passed into the realm of myth. I fear the act of learning the control you need will be a guessing game."

"Am I going to have to stay here?"

"Yes. Your uncle didn't take too kindly to the destruction of his house, despite the fact that we repaired it before he even got home. He has declared that you are never to return. Remus packed your things for you." Dumbledore paused and gestured around the room. "This room is protected from large elemental outbursts, though it will allow small experiments, but the room next door will allow you to practice all you wish and yet contain any magic from escaping and harming the castle. You will be staying here until school begins."

I nodded. I was okay with that. "Hedwig?"

"She arrived shortly before you woke up, and I believe is up in the Owlery."

Good. I'm glad she wasn't caught up in all of this. "So you are just going to leave me alone and hope I can learn to control this?"

His eyes twinkled for the first time since he entered the room, and I wondered what that was about. Was he happy about leaving me alone?

"Yes, I will be leaving you mostly to your own devises, though I will offer some advice as well as continue to look for anything that may be of help to you." He stopped and I could have sworn he was smirking at me. Since when had Dumbledore started smirking? "But I will not be leaving you alone. Ginny will be joining you."

Okay, I didn't really know how I felt about that. On the one hand, I have been mildly obsessed with Ginny for the last several years, and wouldn't mind her company. On the other hand, I was currently extremely dangerous. "But isn't that dangerous? I could hurt her."

"Yes, there is some danger in putting two new elementalists together. However, I think you will be fine. But that is not why I am doing this. Ginevra Weasley has threatened to roast me alive if I don't allow her to help you. She is convinced that her newly acquired skill will be a great help to you in winning the war."

"A help to _me_? Why does she think I need to fight the war? I haven't told anyone about…" I trailed off. I wasn't comfortable enough to mention the prophecy out loud yet.

"I am finding that young Miss Weasley is incredibly intuitive when she wants to be. She seems to know that this war is yours to fight, and is determined to help in any way she can."

I digested this for several minutes. It sounded like Ginny.

"You said you had some advice for us?"

"Yes. I have spent the last several hours combing through every reference in the library on elementalists. Controlling your element will mostly be instinctual, but it has been noted that it requires strong control over your emotions, your physical body, your mind, and your magic. As the control is performed wandlessly, there is no safeguard put in place as there is with regular magic."

I thought about this. "So wizards use a wand to protect ourselves from uncontrolled magic—it allows us to only perform magic when we intend to. But Ginny and I, now we will be without that safeguard so we must always be in complete control of ourselves so things like this morning never happen again."

"Correct."

"Okay. So we have to learn to control our emotions, body, mind, and magic. How exactly do we do that?"

"You already know what you will need to be able to control your emotions."

"Occlumency."

"Yes, or something similar. Control of your mind is along the same lines. Control of the body is necessary so that you do not force it to handle more than it can, or you will once more end up as you are now. This will involve not only strengthening your body, but learning discipline and being able to recognise when you have reached your limit."

"That makes sense. Now, what about our magic?"

"That is the hard part. This involves learning direct control of your individual elements. I can offer you no insight beyond the caution to be careful as you experiment."

"And we are to stay in here?"

"Yes. It can adapt for your needs and you should find that very useful. Your friend Dobby has agreed to be available at all times and to provide you food and anything else you might wish. He will answer if you call."

"All right." I shifted on the bed and discovered to my great relief that I could once more move, though sluggishly. Madam Pomfrey was a miracle worker. "So why isn't Ginny here yet?"

"Oh, she is here. She is in the room next door, waiting for you."

And somehow, it seemed I already knew that. I looked up, noting that there were indeed two doors visible, one to the outside hall and another that I hadn't seen before, and I just knew she was behind that door. "Why is she in there instead of with me? Wouldn't she benefit from this advice?" And I wouldn't admit this to him, but I simply wanted to be near her. It felt like there was a cord wrapped around my heart, pulling me in her direction.

"Indeed. And I have already spoken with her in some detail. However, I do not think it will be very safe for me to be in the room the first time you two meet."

"Oh. Are you worried about our elements acting up?"

"Yes, they will undoubtedly react to each other."

"Why? This morning I only lost control when I got angry. Why would seeing Ginny get me angry?"

"I am afraid there is one more piece of information I was able to learn about elementalists." I waited for him to continue. "However, I think I will leave this for you to discover on your own."

I gaped at him. "Why won't you tell me?"

"I am certain that either you won't believe me, or you will be afraid to let it happen. Either of these outcomes would be detrimental to your ability to complete your destiny."

That made absolutely no sense, but I was somewhat used to Dumbledore making very little sense. I think he liked to be cryptic. Maybe he got a kick out of running around knowing more than everyone around him. He stood up hastily.

"I will be going now. Dobby will respond when you call for him, and I will check on you in a few weeks." He put a hand on my shoulder. "Good luck, my boy."

And with that he was gone. Odd.

I sat back against the bed, trying to puzzle everything out. Only this morning I was confident that I was an unremarkable boy that would inevitably die at Voldemort's hands. Now I wasn't so sure. If I could truly learn to harness this power inside me, there was no telling what it could do. Maybe I now stood a fighting chance. With a bit of effort I was able to pull myself into a standing position. Might as well follow this pull and go talk to Ginny. Dumbledore seemed to think something would happen when I saw her and I was kind of curious. Plus, I was just lonely. I had spent the last week locked up inside Number Four Privet Drive with only Hedwig for company unless my relatives were screaming at me. I didn't want to be left alone anymore. I sat on the edge of the bed for several minutes, gathering my strength, then made my way slowly over to the second door and knocked hesitantly.

"Ginny? Is it all right if I come in?"

Her voice was timid. "Come in, Harry."

Worried but still morbidly curious, I opened the door. I couldn't see her right away, but there weren't many places to look. The room looked like a stone meadow; the floor was solid stone, but the sky was visible. In the centre of the room there was a large outcropping of rock, and, again, I knew she was there. The pull towards her was getting stronger the closer I got. Moving towards her, I called out. "Ginny?"

"I'm here, Harry."

I followed the pull. "Are you all right? I heard about this morning."

"Yes, I'm fine."

She didn't really sound it, to me. She sounded worried. Maybe she was concerned about this thing Dumbledore refused to tell me about. I wanted to help her, and forced my tired body to move more quickly. I rounded the large rock and drew in a sharp breath. Ginny was sitting with her back to me, and this gave me a marvelous view of her hair—her hair that I have an unhealthy obsession with. It had always been beautiful, but it was even more so now. I looked closer and realised that there were actually tiny flames running up some of the strands. Odd as it may sound, the fire suited her and was amazingly attractive, and I was immediately reminded of my musings this morning.

"Hello, Ginny."

Slowly, Ginny turned around, her eyes downcast and not meeting mine. "Hello, Harry. Are you feeling better?"

"I'm all right. It doesn't hurt as much as it did, as long as I move slowly. Madam Pomfrey says I just need some rest."

"At least you were able to control it some. I lit up like a torch."

I laughed. "Sorry I missed that. Must have been a sight."

Ginny laughed quietly and slowly raised her head. Her chocolate brown eyes rose to meet mine, and the world stopped.

* * *

_A Few Minutes Earlier_

Albus Dumbledore shut the door quietly behind him. That had gone better than anticipated; of course, he had not told Harry one important piece of information. He only hoped the lad didn't curse him too badly the next time they met, although he probably would deserve it. With a resigned sigh, he made his way to where the Weasleys waited for him.

As soon as Harry had lost consciousness in front of him, he had brought the boy here. And, while Madam Pomfrey was frantically making sure he was all right, Albus had returned once more to the Burrow, where he explained that Harry, too, was an elementalist and that it was necessary for Harry and Ginny to be isolated until they had gained some measure of control. Ginny's brothers were sent to help her pack, as she was still unable to completely extinguish the flames on her hands. Once that was done, Albus had brought the entire family to the castle and shown Ginny into the Room of Requirement. There he had sat down and explained as much as he could to her.

Including the one thing he had kept from Harry.

He had then left the girl to her own devices while he checked on Harry and poured through the library looking for anything that could help the two children. Albus had carefully avoided Molly Weasley all afternoon. He wanted to make sure Harry and Ginny were safely out of her reach before he talked with her, as he was unsure of her reaction. However, he could no longer keep the truth from her. So, with dread, he opened the door and entered the room where the Weasleys sat. Unsurprisingly, Remus Lupin was with them. As the man considered Harry nearly a son, Albus did not think he could keep him away.

"Albus," Molly called as soon as he entered the room. "How are they? Can we see them?"

He sighed and made his way to a chair before answering. "Harry has woken up and is mending quickly; all he requires now is rest. Ginny has calmed down and I have told her all I know, which, admittedly, isn't much. Unfortunately, it will be impossible for anyone to see them for several days. They must learn some control before I will risk anyone else coming in contact with them; it would be too dangerous otherwise."

Molly huffed, but did not argue, for which Albus was grateful.

"What information were you able to tell them?" Arthur asked quietly.

"The last known elementalist was Merlin himself; he controlled earth. As such, there is precious little information available to us. I explained to both of them that they must learn complete control of their emotions, minds, bodies, and magic. If they were to lose this control now the results could be catastrophic. I imparted as much advice as I could as to how to do so; however, much of it they must discover for themselves as the knowledge is lost." Albus sighed heavily before continuing. "In addition, there was one more thing I was able to learn. I told Ginny of this, though I thought it best not to inform Harry."

"Why not?" Ronald Weasley questioned. "You know how much Harry hates being kept in the dark."

"Indeed, I do, Ronald. However, I did not keep it from him, merely chose to let him learn for himself. I was afraid that if I told him beforehand he would act to prevent it, and that would be injurious not only to his control but also to his future. He needs to allow this to happen."

"What exactly are you talking about, Albus?" Arthur had a look of dread on his face.

"Every time history tells of an elementalist it says they come in pairs, and fate seems to take action to insure this. Merlin was defeated by Nimue shortly after his wife, Elaine, passed on. Elaine was, as her title the Lady of the Lake implies, a water elementalist. Legend says that Merlin was so distraught at her death he didn't fight and willingly let himself be imprisoned. Other couples appear in various places throughout history, though most stories have been so covered in myth it is difficult to tell what really happened. However, it would appear that they do indeed only come in pairs. The second that Harry and Ginny meet eyes, now that they have received their powers, they will undergo a bonding ritual that none alive now understand. This will allow them to work together in the future without bringing harm to each other, for their elements will recognise the other and cause no injury."

"A bonding ritual?" Bill asked softly.

"Yes. The only reference I could find to the actual ritual said, _'and two become one evermore and the elements rejoice. Pity those who try to witness what no man should ever see'._ I judged it best that I not be present when this took place, so I separated them before Harry woke up. I imagine he has already made his way to her; he was quite concerned about her."

"So Harry and Ginny are going to be… together now?" Ron asked. He looked slightly green at the thought.

"Indeed, it would seem so. I know no more."

"Professor?" Remus asked hesitantly. "Why did you not want to warn Harry?"

Albus sighed heavily. "Harry has a history of trying to protect those he cares about from himself. I worried that if he knew that Ginny would forever be tied to him he would try to spare her that fate."

"That sounds like Harry," Fred spoke up.

"Always one to sacrifice himself for everyone else," George agreed.

Silence fell on the room, and Albus was thankful that Molly Weasley appeared to be in so much shock she had yet to start screaming at him. He decided it might be time for him to retire, as the day had been exhausting. He was just standing up to leave the room when he was knocked down by a magical shockwave that raced through the castle.

Albus looked up to see most of the Weasleys on the floor and Remus fumbling for his wand. "I think it is safe to say that Harry just found Ginny."

* * *

I was lost—lost in a brown so rich and deep I never wanted to leave. I could feel something was happening around me, but I had no desire to leave the brown to figure out what. It was like my world was rearranging itself. My loyalties to Hogwarts, to my friends, to my parents, to myself even, were all superseded. My desire to win this war and stop Voldemort no longer was my focus in life. Somehow, unquestioningly, I knew that the centre of my universe had shifted. Because suddenly it was standing directly in front of me. And it was brown, and warm, and _home_.

I don't know how long I spent in the brown; it felt like a very long time and yet at the same time not nearly enough. But suddenly I remembered that there were more colours than brown, and I felt a desire to find _red_. Red was beautiful. My eyes shifted and I could see the red surrounding the brown, the two most beautiful colours in the world to me.

Gradually, I became more aware of my surroundings. I was surrounded by a storm of raging fire that was being buffeted by the wind. But somehow I was not afraid, neither the wind nor the fire would hurt me. Both were intimately familiar to me. One held a part of me and the other held a part of _her_, the centre of my universe. I blinked my eyes and pulled her back into my focus.

"Ginny…"

It was a plea, a desperate plea. I had no idea how long I had been staring at her, but I knew it was no longer enough. I had to get to her. I tried to move, only to find that I had no strength, and I was on the floor never having once lost her eyes. Since I couldn't walk, I crawled. And suddenly she was there in front of me, mere inches separating us. Her hand hovered briefly out towards me, then dropped to the floor, as if she was afraid to close the distance and really touch me.

"Harry…"

Her voice was low and husky, and the most beautiful thing I had ever heard. My entire being screamed that I needed to get to her, to relieve the need evident in that one spoken word. Forcing my arm up, I lifted it slowly to her face and cupped her cheek in my hand. Electricity sparked between us and I could see lightning falling around us. My body grew warm as heat and energy flowed from my hand on her face. I forgot that I was hurt, that a minute ago I didn't have the strength to stand. My hands reached out for her and pulled her to me, rejoicing in the feel of her in my arms. I buried my head in her fiery hair and breathed in her scent; flowery and wonderful, it filled my being. I could feel her small hands as they wrapped around me, holding me as tightly as I was holding her. And I rejoiced in the fact that she seemed to want me as much as I wanted her.

I have no concept of how long we sat there wrapped around each other. Slowly, I started to remember that there had been a time _before_ she was my world. I didn't like to think of that time, but I sifted through my memories. Many seemed insignificant now because she was not in them. Many pained me. How could I not have always wanted her? I can see now that even when I hadn't always admitted this I was always aware of her. She had always been a part of me.

I remembered walking into this room and finding her. I remembered thinking she seemed worried about something. I remembered her hesitation to touch me. I pulled back slightly, concerned. Dumbledore had known something was going to happen the second I saw her, but refused to tell me. Had he told her? Did she not want this? I knew Ginny. If she thought I needed her she would help me, even if she had to pay the cost. Was that what was going on? She knew I needed her, so she agreed even though it wasn't what she herself wanted?

It was the hardest thing I had ever done, but I managed to gently push her away from me. I would not keep her here. If she wanted to be free of me I would let her. I cried out at the thought, but I was determined to do this. She deserved better than me; she deserved everything.

Miserable, I looked into her glorious eyes. "I'm sorry, Ginny. I'm sorry to have done this to you. I won't make you stay."

She looked at me, bewildered. "Done what to me? What are you talking about, Harry?"

I shut my eyes, trying to contain the pain. She was so close to me, and yet I couldn't touch her. "You don't have to stay for me. I didn't mean to assume that just because I…" I couldn't finish that thought, so I tried another. "I want you to be happy, even if that means you're not with me."

"Harry James Potter, what are you going on about? Do you honestly think I'm here by anything other than my own free will? Why ever would I not want to be with you?"

I looked up sharply. "But… before… you were so worried. You didn't want this to happen." I looked away from her. "And I understand. I'll let you go. I'm pretty good at that, you know." I laughed harshly at myself. "And you don't need some stupid boy obsessing after you. I've always known that I wasn't good enough for you."

I heard her sharp intake of breath and then her hand was on my chin, forcing me to look at her. "Harry? Do you mean that you already felt something for me, before all this?"

I didn't answer her completely; I couldn't bring myself to. Instead I brought a hand up and threaded it through her glorious hair, something I had wanted to do for years. "Do you know how fascinating your hair is? It has so many different colours in it. I used to watch the firelight play off it and think that I had never seen anything so beautiful. Aunt Petunia gets mad at me every summer because I only want to plant red flowers. She prefers purple." I suddenly realised where my hand was and dropped it. "Sorry," I whispered.

"Harry," she said softly. "I want you to listen to me. I fell in love with you five years ago on the train platform…"

"I know," I interrupted her. "I'm sorry that I didn't understand. I was so scared, and so I ignored it. And now it is too late."

"But it's _not_ too late, Harry."

I looked up quickly. "It's not?"

"No. I fell in love with you five years ago, and I've never stopped. I was worried earlier because I thought you were about to be pushed into a bond that you didn't want. I thought you didn't want _me_."

I stared at her. "Are you daft? How could I not want you?"

She rolled her eyes. "You haven't wanted me for the last five years."

I blushed and looked down at the floor. "That's not exactly true. I told you I was just scared. Do you know that I used to hate red before I came to Hogwarts? I liked softer colours, blues and browns; things that helped me blend in and not be seen. And then I saw you. I looked up a charm my first week of Hogwarts and changed most of my things to red. I was so excited for you to start Hogwarts, because it meant I would get to know you. I had no idea why I wanted that, just that I did. I spent most of my first year imagining you there with me. And then I went home that summer; Aunt Petunia made sure I knew how much of a freak I was, that no one could ever love me." I heard her quiet sob but couldn't bring myself to meet her eyes. What would she think of me now? "And then when I got to the Burrow, Ron told me how you were obsessed with _the Boy-Who-Lived_. It felt like the one person whom I desperately wanted to like me for me couldn't see past the scar on my head. And so I tried hard to forget about you. I even found the girl in Hogwarts who looked the least like you and tried to distract myself." I scoffed at myself. "We all know how well _that_ turned out. And then you started talking to me. And I realised I _was_ just Harry to you, that you were able to see past everything else to just me. I was determined to finally do something." I put my hands in my hair. I didn't like thinking about that day. It had been horrible, and I usually tried to pretend it never happened.

"Then why didn't you?" She asked quietly.

"Hermione told me you were dating Michael Corner, and I knew I had missed my chance. But even worse, she told me that you had given up on me, that you had moved on, and I knew that I never would have a chance with you."

"Well, shows what she knows."

I met her eyes. "So you really do want to be with me."

"Always, Harry. Always." I beamed at her. "And you with me." Her voice was confident now, no longer laced with worry and self-doubt.

I echoed her word choice, it was a good one. "Always."

"And it's not just because of the force of this bonding."

I looked up at her curiously. "Is that what just happened?"

"Yes. Elementalists always come in pairs. They bond together so they can work together without harming the other."

I nodded my head. That would explain why the fire that was still dancing around us not only hadn't hurt me but actually felt comforting. "And so you were worried that I didn't really feel anything for you on my own." She nodded shyly. "Nothing could be further from the truth."

I don't know which of us moved, or perhaps both of us did, but once more she was in my arms and it was the most glorious thing in the world. I pulled back slightly and gently cupped her cheek in my hand. Her skin was so smooth, like white porcelain. Only she was more beautiful than any of my aunt's porcelain figurines. I figured she should know this, so I told her. She laughed at me, then grinned impishly at me.

"Are you finally going to kiss me now?"

I blushed and looked down. My one experience with kissing had not left me with a very good impression of it, but I'm sure it would be brilliant with Ginny. I was perfectly willing to try. "I don't think I'm a very good kisser," I told her shyly. I didn't want her to expect more and be disappointed.

"And why do you think that?"

"The one girl I kissed broke out crying and never wanted to do it again."

She laughed again. What is it with this girl and laughing at me? Was she trying to completely destroy my ego?

"Oh, Harry! Cho cried over everything, I'm sure it wasn't your kissing." I shrugged. That was probably true. "So are you going to kiss me or not?"

"I don't want you to be disappointed in me."

Her gaze softened. "Well maybe I'll just have to kiss you. I'm a fabulous kisser."

"I know." I whispered softly.

"How could you possibly know that?"

"Um… I may have overheard Michael and Anthony talking about you one day." It had been another horrible day. I had wanted to pound him, only Hermione was with me and I didn't want her to ask why. I had always been so careful to keep my obsession with Ginny away from her.

"Well, then I'll have to teach you. And we'll just have to practice. A lot."

"I like that idea."

She smiled at me and threaded her small fingers through my hair. She didn't have to pull me down to her, as I was perfectly willing to go on my own. Our lips met hesitantly at first, then again and again. I lost track of time once more as nothing existed but her and keeping my mouth on hers. At one point she pulled away and giggled before pointing down. We were floating several feet off the ground on a soft gust of wind, and a ring of fire was dancing around us. I laughed with her briefly before deciding I didn't care and kissing her again. My life had never seemed so perfect.

* * *

A/N: So, I realize that not everyone knew the previous chapter was a prologue and had a lot of questions. Hopefully, this clears some things up for you. You'll also note that I used a similar idea to imprinting from the Twilight series.

Most of this story will be in first person, except for when Harry honestly can't be there to explain it. As such, my roommate and beta has been trying to find all the places I messed up my verb tenses. Any mistakes are mine, not hers. She tried her best.


	3. Chapter 2: Bolt and Flame

I slowly blinked my eyes open. I don't remember the last time I slept through the night without any nightmares. With a happy sigh I looked down at the girl in my arms who was responsible for my good night's sleep. She was beautiful, and she was mine. I don't think things could get any better. I stretched a bit in the large bed that the Room of Requirement had provided, careful not to jostle Ginny. She was curled up beside me with her head resting on my shoulder and my arm wrapped tightly around her.

We had been rather reluctant the night before to stop snogging, but eventually it became necessary to eat something. At least for me. I was still weak enough that I couldn't even stand on my own. Ginny had yelled at me for using all my energy in snogging her. I told her it was worth it. After that, Dobby had happily provided us with a feast, all the time chattering on about how excited he was to serve the "great Harry Potter and his Ginny". I grinned to myself remembering that. He had always called Ginny "Mizz Weazy" before. Evidently, whatever strange thing had happened last night had made her eternally mine. I wasn't going to complain about that. We spent the rest of the night cuddled together in front of a large fire, talking about nearly everything. We had avoided the topic of our strange new powers, mutually coming to the decision that we could worry about that today.

I sighed as I remembered there was one other thing I had avoided talking about. I knew that with the way things now were there was no way I could avoid telling her about the prophecy, but I was still reluctant to do so. A part of that was the knowledge that Sirius had died to protect the contents of the prophecy and the idea of telling anyone about it was frightening. An even larger part was the worry that she wouldn't want to stand by my side as I tried to win my fight. Or even worse, that if I did win she would no longer be able to be with me. I couldn't see Ginny loving a killer, and yet that is exactly what I am destined to become, assuming I don't die myself.

With that depressing thought I sank back into my typical brooding. I didn't even notice when Ginny woke up. It wasn't until I looked down and found her watching me that I began paying attention to my surroundings again.

"Good morning," she whispered. "How did you sleep?"

I smiled down at her and cupped my free hand around her cheek. "Amazingly."

She frowned slightly. "Then why were you brooding?"

I sighed. "Because there is something that I need to tell you that I really don't want to."

"Oh." She sat up abruptly, swinging her legs off the bed and sitting on the edge with her back to me. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want."

I sat up and wrapped my arms around her and rested my head against her back. "It's not that I don't want to, it's that I'm worried about your reaction."

She placed her hands on top of mine that lay on her stomach. "Whatever it is, we'll figure it out."

I nodded against her before scooting back and sitting against the headboard. I reached a hand out to help her sit next to me. Once she was snuggled into my side I began. "I'm sure you've realised that the Order has spent the past year guarding a prophecy that was kept in the Department of Mysteries. A prophecy that broke the night we went to save Sirius."

"Yes. It was a prophecy about you and Voldemort."

"Yes. When we came back here, Professor Dumbledore told me what it said." I took a deep breath. "Would you like to know?"

"I already do."

I looked down at her in shock. "How could you possibly know?"

"It's not hard to guess, Harry." She raised her head and met my astonished gaze. "It says that you have to be the one to beat him, right?"

I nodded numbly. "It says that one of us will end up killing the other, and that I will have a power he knows not." I was still recovering from the shock of her already knowing the thing I was so afraid of telling her. "Dumbledore told me that love was my power when he told me about the prophecy. The first thing I said to him yesterday was that I thought he was wrong."

She looked thoughtful. "Well, in a way he's right. As elementalists always come in pairs there is an element of love involved. Maybe the prophecy is referring to the fact that I am going to be fighting with you."

My breath hitched. She was willing to stay with me, fight with me even. There was one more thing I had to be sure of, however. "And if I'm able to win, if I kill Voldemort, will you still be able to stay with me? Can you love a killer?" She had told me she had been in love with me for years, but was that love strong enough to survive this? Could she really accept me for who I was and who I must become?

She looked up at me sharply. Without a word she pulled herself out of my grasp and sat up. My hands fell limp to my sides. I guess that was my answer, then. I couldn't bring myself to look at her anymore, so I had no warning before she planted herself firmly in my lap, her legs straddling me as I sat. I looked up at her in astonishment and lost my ability to breathe.

She was a goddess. My very own fire goddess. Small flames were once more sparking in her hair, and her eyes seemed to be smoldering. I brought one hand up tentatively and brushed it through her hair. Some of the flames transferred to my hand, and I marveled that they did not burn. Indeed, they felt pleasant and comforting. I watched them carefully for a few moments until Ginny brought her hand up and gently touched mine. The flames jumped back to her and disappeared. She kept my hand in hers, idly playing with my fingers.

"Do you think less of me," she said quietly, "for the fact that I put my own brother in the hospital yesterday?"

I hadn't known that, but it wasn't shocking. I was lucky that no one was home when my power exploded out of me. "No." My voice was quiet, but strong.

"Did you think less of me after my first year, when I put so many people in the hospital petrified and nearly got you killed?"

"No." I never had.

"Likewise I didn't blame you when Cedric died, or Sirius." I flinched at the last name. That was still a sore topic for me. "Even if it had been your fault, I would still love you and forgive you. Even if it had been you who had pushed Sirius through the veil instead of Bellatrix." This shocked me and my hand that wasn't held in hers tightened around her waist in response. "Then how could you possibly think I would blame you for ridding the world of Voldemort?"

She was obviously expecting some kind of answer, but I didn't really know what to say. "I never want you to be disappointed in me and my actions. And if I were responsible for ending someone's life, no matter how despicable of a person's…"

She looked steadily into my eyes. "I would not think less of you if you personally took out every single one of the Death Eaters. In fact, it would probably have the opposite effect." She paused, pulling her hand free from mine and placing both of hers against my face. "If you were to rid the world of those evil men and women, it would only be to protect those they would hurt. You would be saving lives, not ending them. Someone who has chosen to waste their life in causing pain and harm to others has forfeited any right to my sympathy." Her eyes blazed with brown fire, and the flames in her hair grew stronger. "And I will help you take out every single one of them."

I stared at her, her beautiful brown eyes ablaze with determination and her still flaming hair blowing in the soft breeze that was surrounding us. She truly was remarkable. She absolved me of all guilt before I even earned the right to feel it.

"Thank you," I whispered sincerely. I brought my hands up into her hair and pulled her gently towards me. I whispered against her lips, "I will love you always, Ginevra Molly Weasley."

I could feel her smirk. "Just remember who loved who first here, Potter."

My hands that were in her hair pushed her hard against me, erasing the last vestiges of space between us.

* * *

At the moment, I was intensely grateful that the binding ritual had made Ginny and I immune to the other's element. We had spent the last several hours experimenting with things, trying to get the wind and fire to do what we wanted. Usually, this resulted in such frustration that we would literally explode outwards with power. It was an odd feeling to be completely encased in flames and not burning. We had taken turns trying to help each other, figuring that only one of us should be experimenting at one time.

Finally, I reached the end of my tolerance. "Ginny, this doesn't seem to be working."

She growled, actually growled, in frustration. "I know. But how else are we going to learn to control it?"

I thought about this. "Maybe we have to learn the other types of control Dumbledore talked about first. Maybe they will help us when we try to control the magic."

She sighed. "I was afraid you were going to say that." She gave me a wry grin. "I didn't want to wait that long."

I laughed. "I know, love. I feel the same way. But what if we focus most of our effort on the other areas, but still spend some time each day trying to control the elements. Even if it doesn't work, it will give us an idea of how our control is going."

She smiled brightly. "Okay." Closing her eyes, she scrunched up her face in thought. I was so fascinated watching this I didn't notice the room changing around us until she opened her eyes again and looked around. The bare stone we had been working with was replaced with a comfortable sitting room. "Let's sit and you can explain to me all you know about Occlumency."

"Just remember that I'm not very good at it."

"That's all right. I don't think we need to actually be able to block our minds. I think it is more that Occlumency requires control of your emotions, and so the techniques you learned should apply to us."

I nodded. She pushed me down into the overly large armchair in front of the fire and curled herself up in my lap. I sighed happily as my arms wound around her. I slipped the tips of my fingers under the back of her shirt, wanting to feel the warmth of her skin. I didn't know if it was because of the fire inside of her or just my imagination, but she felt several degrees warmer than me and I seemed to have an innate need to touch her skin. "Snape never explained much to me. All he ever told me was to clear my mind." She released an angry noise and I smiled as the flames appeared in her hair briefly. "But I learned that it was more than that. When he would attack me, if I had a strong emotional reaction to the images he was forcing me to remember, than I was paralyzed and unable to stop him. It was only when I was able to separate myself from them, detach emotionally, that I had any success in forcing him out."

She thought carefully. "So we need to learn to not allow outward things to affect our emotions?"

I considered that. "That sounds about right. For instance, just now you were angry at Snape, and your hair started dancing with little flames."

She looked up, startled. "Really?"

I grinned at her. "Yes. It made you look even more beautiful."

She raised an eyebrow at me and smirked. "So I'm going to have to learn to do that when I'm not upset. Have to keep my man wanting me."

I chuckled. "You don't need that to keep me wanting you. But I certainly do like it. I used to have daydreams about you with your hair aflame." I blushed slightly. "I was always embarrassed at exactly how much I liked that image."

Ginny giggled for a second before calming down and getting a serious look on her face. "We've seen that any type of strong emotion makes it harder to control our elements. So it would follow that we need to regulate our emotions and never let them get out of control. That doesn't mean that we can't feel things, just that we can't let our feelings overcome us or control us."

I nodded. "That makes sense. But how do we do that?"

"I have no idea."

We both looked up, startled, as a loud pop announced the arrival of Dobby. He seemed unconcerned when the flames in the fireplace doubled in size or the random wind ruffled his clothes. "Begging pardon, Harry Potter and his Ginny, but Headmaster had an idea abouts this." He held out a slim book which Ginny took. "Hes asks Dobby to tells you that the art of meditation will helps you to control yours emotions. Hes says it also wills helps you gain mental control."

"Thank you Dobby," I told the excitable elf. "And thank the Headmaster for us please."

Dobby beamed. "Yes, Harry Potter, sir." He wrung his hands together. "Begging pardon, but may Dobby offer an idea?"

"Of course."

"Harry Potter and his Ginny must be strong enough to control the fire and wind, otherwise yous will exhaust yourselves as Harry Potter did yesterdays. Dobby has an idea."

The little elf clicked his fingers and I watched in amazement as the room changed around us. I recognised many of the things, as Aunt Petunia had bought something similar for Dudley just last week. It was to help him bulk up. While the thought of Dudley getting any bigger and stronger was rather revolting to me, Petunia was ecstatic to help her little boxing champion.

"You think we should start working out."

"Yes, sir. Dobby believes it will give yous better control."

"Thank you Dobby. That is a marvelous idea."

The elf beamed before disappearing with another loud pop. I looked down to see Ginny looking through the book she held. When she sensed my gaze she put it down and looked up with a confused look. "Want to explain to me what these things are?" She gestured around the room.

"I'm not sure what they all do exactly, but they are Muggle exercise equipment. Dobby thinks that stronger bodies will allow us better control. I guess that is what Dumbledore meant when he said we needed better control over our bodies."

She looked pensive for several minutes. I had to admit, I wasn't exactly looking forward to the idea of having to work out. However, I quite liked the idea of watching Ginny do so. She looked up at me and her smile grew slightly feral. She ran a small hand from my shoulder down my chest until it rested on my stomach. I shivered. "I think I'm going to like the results of this."

I gulped.

"Shall we see if we can figure out how they work?" I nodded. I seemed unable to speak when she was looking at me like that. "Maybe afterwards we can read that book Dumbledore sent."

Ginny found it humorous to watch as I attempted to work the equipment. She laughed at me when I dropped one of the weights on my toe, and giggled the entire time I spent poking and prodding one of the more complicated machines. I did eventually figure out how to work them, all the while trying to ignore the beautiful girl who evidently had spent way too much time with her twin brothers. Once I had figured them out, I showed Ginny how to use them and we set to work.

Half an hour later I collapsed on the floor unable to move anymore.

"Harry!" Ginny was by my side instantly, her hair once more aflame. "Are you all right?"

I closed my eyes in mortification. Clearly, I was a wimp. Even my girlfriend was stronger than me. I cracked an eye open and peered at her. "Apparently, your boyfriend is a bloody weed." She laughed and I shut my eye again. Was I always going to be a source of amusement for her?

"Oh, Harry! You do realise that you are still recovering from a severe case of exhaustion, right?"

"Doesn't matter, I've always been like this. Dudley used to beat me up all the time and I couldn't defend myself at all. I'm never going to be strong enough to control this."

I felt her hand on my cheek as she tried to get me to look at her, but I didn't want to see the pity, so I stubbornly refused to open my eyes. Of course, I forgot I was dealing with Ginny Weasley, the girl who doesn't take no for an answer. She climbed right on top of me and perched herself on my stomach.

"You really do have horrible self-esteem, love." I didn't answer. She was right. But what did she expect? I had been called a freak for the first ten years of my life and then come to a school where everyone stared at me and alternated between hero worship and abject fear. It's enough to give anyone a complex. "None of the things anyone else thinks about you matter, Harry. It only matters what you think about yourself. And if you think you are too weak to do this then tell me now and we'll give up. It's pointless to only give a half-hearted attempt. Either we are going to do this, or we aren't. So make up your mind and tell me now."

I opened my eyes to see her sitting on top of me, arms crossed, and giving me the most determined look I have ever seen. "But how do we even know we can do it?"

"It doesn't matter. No one can know the future. But if we are going to try, then we are going to really _try_."

"I want to. I'm just… afraid, I guess."

"Well so am I." I eyed her carefully. She certainly didn't look like she was afraid. "But I let fear nearly ruin my life once before and I refuse to do it again."

My eyes widened. She was right. We couldn't let fear rule our lives because then what was the point in even living? "You're right."

"Well of course I am. I'm glad you've finally acknowledged the inevitable."

She was smirking down at me, and she looked… well, sexy. I wanted to turn the tables on her and pin her to the ground, but I was pretty sure I didn't have the strength right now. I grinned as a thought occurred to me. There was a way, if only I could get it to work. I tried to clear my mind and concentrated carefully.

With a startled gasp, Ginny was airborne as a sharp gust of wind pushed her off of me and over onto her back. I grinned and crawled on top of her, pinning her arms above her head. She was looking up at me with fire in her eyes, and without a thought I was kissing her.

When I finally pulled back from her, I watched as she blinked open her large brown eyes. She was looking up at me with awe.

"How did you do that?"

I smirked. "I clear minded and calmly asked it to help me out. The wind seemed perfectly happy to be obliging."

"Teach me how?"

I climbed off of her, somewhat reluctantly, and helped her up. I frowned as I tried to think of a way to explain what I had done. "I stopped worrying about everything, and as soon as I did that it was like… there was something there, just waiting to help me." I closed my eyes and concentrated once more. I could feel it there, the wind in my mind. Suddenly it was whispering to me and my eyes flew open in shock. "It spoke to me!"

Ginny looked at me with wide eyes. "What did it say?"

"It told me its name, and said it was there for me to command." I could hear the awe in my own voice. Softly, I whispered, "Gaoth." I held my hand out and watched in amazement as a miniature tornado materialised on it. With barely a thought it ran up my arm, across my chest, and down the other. I looked up and Ginny was staring at it curiously. I held out my hand towards her and allowed the storm to travel to her. She gasped in surprise.

"It's beautiful…" she whispered.

I agreed, but I could feel that I needed to stop. I was exhausted. With a reluctant sigh the storm on her hand disappeared. I smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, that took a lot out of me."

She nodded, but I could see the excitement in her eyes. "I want to try, now."

I watched carefully as she shut her eyes and her features relaxed. It took several minutes, but suddenly her eyes flew open in glee. She held out her hand and I watched in awe as it filled with flames. She whispered happily, "Tine." She beamed up at me, and I returned her joy. She squeezed her eyes up in concentration and then I gasped in amazement. Her hair was positively dancing with flames. I watched in fascination for I don't know how long, until suddenly they died out. My eyes found her, as she was looking at me carefully. "Sorry," she said. "That was harder than I thought it would be."

I reached for her hand and squeezed it. "That's okay. We'll learn."

She nodded happily before bouncing up. "Let's take our showers and then get something to eat; I'm starving."

I laughed at her as I painfully pulled myself up off the floor. I made my way through a door that had materialised as I was standing up, and found a large loo waiting for me. The warm water felt amazing, and I stood under the spray longer than I normally do just letting it sooth away some of the ache in my muscles. But eventually I climbed out and got dressed. Dobby must have been in while I was in the shower, for there was a new set of clothes waiting for me which I gratefully put on. I was just combing through my hair, however futile I knew that to be, when I heard a shriek and my heart stopped. _Ginny_.

Without evening thinking about it, I was running towards her. I didn't see her in the main room, so I assumed she was still in the loo. I ran to the door and pounded on it. "Ginny! What's wrong? Are you all right?"

It didn't take her long to open the door, for which I was grateful. I didn't think I could take it if she had not come out soon. She looked fine to me, as my eyes instantly raked over every inch of her searching for some form of injury, though she looked a little startled. Satisfied that she was still in one piece I pulled her sharply to me and wrapped my arms around her, sighing slightly in pleasure at the contact.

"Don't scare me like that! What happened?"

"Sorry to worry you. It's really not anything to worry about." She buried her head into my chest. "My mum is going to kill me, though."

I was confused. "Why?"

"Did you notice anything unusual when you were taking a shower?"

I stared down at her. What an odd question? "Um… no?"

She pulled herself gently from my arms, a move I protested with the smallest whine, and turned her back to me. I watched, confused, as she raised the back of her shirt about six inches.

"Oh."

"Yes. Oh."

I reached a hand out and traced my fingers gently over the small of her back. "How did this happen?"

"I have no idea. I assume it is part of the elemental thing. But why that?"

"Yes, I would have expected something different." My fingers continued to glide over the image that was now permanently etched in her back. It was an emerald lightning bolt. I growled softly. "Though, I have to admit that I _really_ like seeing that on you."

She turned her head to look over her shoulder and grinned at me. "I thought you might." She turned around and dropped her shirt. "So you didn't notice anything similar?"

"No. But I didn't really look."

She smirked at me. "I guess that means I'll have to look. Off with your shirt, Potter."

I laughed at her hungry expression, then shrugged and pulled my shirt off. I turned around and presented my back to her. After a second she gave a startled gasp. I felt her hand on me, but it wasn't where I had expected. She was tracing something directly over my left shoulder blade.

"Why is it in a different place?"

"I don't know," she whispered. "It's not the same, either."

"Really? What does mine look like?"

"A scarlet flame."

I sucked in a sharp breath. Oh. I think I quite liked that. "It's marking me as yours." I craned my head around to look over my shoulder. She was still tracing my shoulder and she was looking at me in awe. "And the lightning marks you as mine."

Her eyes rose to meet mine, and without a thought I turned around and pulled her into my arms. "Always." Her voice was oddly breathy.

I smirked. "Just don't mention that part when you tell your mum."

She gasped and slapped me lightly across the chest. "Harry Potter! Are you afraid of people knowing I belong to you?"

"Nope. I just don't want to be around when your mum finds out I permanently marked you."

She giggled and I pulled her closer until her head rested against my bare chest. The skin to skin contact was amazing. It made me feel stronger, and right. It made me feel whole. I leaned down and buried my nose in the top of her head, inhaling the fragrance of her hair. I truly was hers, and I didn't need a mark on my skin to tell me that.

* * *

I didn't really know what to make of this meditation business at first. It seemed a little, well, girly to me. I didn't mention that to Ginny, though; she would have had my head. But it did seem to help. It took a great deal of concentration to reach the calm needed to control the wind, and meditation was slowly helping me to get there easier. The exercises outlined in the book Dumbledore left for us also helped me deal with things better. I was now able to talk about Sirius without getting too terribly upset, and Ginny and I had even spent most of last evening discussing the prophecy and its ramifications without me getting angry or distressed. Considering I spent the entire last year screaming at everyone I thought this was pretty good.

The physical exercises had started slowly, at first. I always knew I wasn't the strongest bloke out there, but trying to use some of these machines really drove that point home to me. And my ego really didn't like having that pointed out in front of Ginny. But I was starting to notice a small improvement, so I had grand hopes that I wouldn't always be such a wimp.

Ginny and I had had much more success with our elements over the last few days. We still lost control quite regularly, but there were times we were able to get them to do what we wanted. There were certain things I noticed, however. It seemed there was always a light breeze playing around me. My clothes were always fluttering slightly, and it wasn't uncommon for me to find myself floating. Particularly if I was meditating. Or snogging Ginny.

Ginny seemed to have a similar phenomenon, as her hair often sparked with small flames. She also had the unconscious habit of playing with a small flame on her fingertips when she was concentrating on something. I had often gotten lost in watching her instead of working on my own control, but I was fascinated by nearly everything she did. Ginny didn't seem to mind this, as she would simply scold me lightly and shoo me away whenever she caught me, but with a quiet giggle or two to let me know she wasn't really mad.

It had been two weeks that we had been here now, and this morning Ginny and I had decided to try and have contact with the outside world again. I was rather reluctant to do this at first. I knew that as we returned more and more to our usual lives I would be spending less and less time with Ginny. That idea didn't sit well with me. I tried to explain this to her and she merely laughed at me, calling me a big baby. She doesn't get it. Things are just _wrong_ if I go too long without touching her. But Ginny desperately misses her family, and she was adamant that we would not be spending our birthdays in isolation. As my birthday was next week, we needed to get a move on it, as she put it. And I would do anything for her.

So we had sent Dobby with a message to Dumbledore that we would like to see him, if possible.

We were sitting in the middle of our rock clearing, playing with the elements. Ginny wanted us to learn to work together well, so we were trying to use my wind to help control her fire. It wasn't working so well yet, but we had created some pretty spectacular explosions. I looked up as there was a loud knock on the door that led outside of our room. With a sigh, I asked the wind to calm down and watched as Ginny put out the fire around us. Then I stood up and went to open the door.

Professor Dumbledore was beaming at me on the other side. "Good morning, Professor. Please come in." I stepped back to let him in and shut the door behind him. Ginny had used this time to change the room to a comfortable sitting room. I joined her on the couch as the Professor sat in a chair opposite us.

"I am very glad to see the two of you. How have things been going?"

"Fairly well, sir." Ginny answered. "We've been using the techniques in that book you lent us and they have helped considerably."

"Very good. Dobby tells me you have also been exercising physically as well?"

I smiled wryly. "We've been trying. I think it will take a bit more before we see any noticeable improvement from that."

Professor Dumbledore chuckled. "I would imagine so." He looked carefully at the two of us, lingering on our clasped hands. "I would assume that you have bonded at this time?"

I glared at him. "Yes. A little warning might have been nice."

He had the grace to look contrite. "My apologies, Harry. I was worried you would fight it happening."

I turned my head to look at Ginny and ran my free hand through her hair. "I doubt it."

I turned back to see him beaming at us. "Most excellent. Would you mind explaining what this bonding consisted of? I found very little mention of it in any reliable literature."

Ginny answered that one. "It was… interesting. We think that the purpose of the bonding is to allow our element to recognise and… mark the other. This should allow us to work more closely together."

He looked confused. "Would you mind explaining that?"

With a smile, Ginny held out her free hand and conjured a tiny flame. She held her hand out to me and I smiled as I picked up the flame and held it. I heard a gasp of surprise as I looked up and met Dumbledore's startled eyes. "Our elements recognise each other," I explained. "Now they can never hurt the other."

"That is remarkable!" He watched in awe as I handed the flame back to Ginny and she put it out. "And you seem to have fairly good control."

"Most of the time," Ginny answered with a grin. "Occasionally they still get away from us."

"And we don't really know what would happen if we were in a situation that tested our control. It's not like we have anyone around purposely antagonizing us right now." I was actually worried about this. I was glad we had a bit more time before school started. I didn't want to think about what would happen if I ran into Snape or Malfoy right now.

"Would you mind demonstrating for me?" Dumbledore asked.

Ginny shrugged. With a short look of concentration, she called a ring of fire out around the three of us, careful to keep it well away from the Headmaster. She let that die down, then winked at me as she let her hair cackle with fire. She knew how much I liked that. I laughed at her, and sent a gentle wind to ruffle her hair. Then I turned to the Headmaster. "I think it better if I'm not so close. Mine can be a bit difficult to control in close quarters."

I stood up and walked a good distance away, the room expanding to accommodate me as I did, before turning back around. With a small amount of concentration, I was floating several feet off the ground. I had found it easier to control the larger things if I was surrounded by the wind. I called a wind storm, then a rain storm. After letting those die down I tried out my new trick. I held out my hand and, watching the Headmaster's dumbfounded expression, caught the lightning bolt that appeared with my bare hand. I couldn't hold it for very long yet, but I turned and threw it against the back wall, which had become solid granite as soon as I called the storm. As Dumbledore sat in stupefied shock I returned to the ground and resumed my seat.

"I'm fairly confident that I'll eventually be able to conjure lightning out of my hands. Ginny's already throwing fireballs."

"We also think that we'll be able to use the elements to travel, but haven't quite figured out how." Ginny had been thrilled by that idea.

Dumbledore shook himself before speaking. "I am truly amazed by what you two have been able to accomplish."

Ginny beamed at him. "Thank you, sir. We were hoping we might be able to spend some time with my family." She looked at me. "We don't want to be alone on our birthdays."

Dumbledore looked thoughtful for a few minutes. "I think that should be fine, though I will have to explain to your brothers the dangers in antagonizing you. I also think it best if you not demonstrate anything too extensive."

Ginny's smile brightened and I nodded my agreement to him. "We also were concerned about the start of school." I paused and looked down at Ginny before continuing. "We should have fairly good control by then, but I am worried about some things."

He looked at me seriously. "What concerns you?"

"I am concerned about sleeping arrangements. We have been known to unleash some power in our sleep, particularly when I have a nightmare. It's probably best if we are separated from the student body at night."

He thought carefully about this for several long minutes and I twisted my hands nervously. Finally he looked up at me. "This makes sense. I think it would be best if we provide separate rooms for you in Gryffindor Tower. That way you will not be too separated from your classmates."

I looked down nervously. Now for the hard part. "There is a bit more." I looked over at Ginny who was rolling her eyes at me. She still didn't get it. "I think it would be best not to separate us at night."

Dumbledore's eyes widened in shock. "That would be difficult, Harry. We cannot let people think we are encouraging certain types of behavior.

I blushed but continued. This was important. "I realise that. However there is a reason for this. It doesn't seem to be as much for Ginny, but I find myself… anxious if I go too long without physical contact of some kind."

"And I think he is just being needy."

Dumbledore looked between the two of us carefully. "What do you mean anxious?"

I shrugged. "It's hard to explain. Ginny doesn't even really believe me." I turned to grin wryly at her. "She thinks I just miss her. And while that is part of it, there is something else. It's like a physical need. If I go too long without touching her, I can't concentrate on anything else."

"I see. I am hesitant to grant this request until we better understand the nature of this bond between the two of you. It is possible that it is causing this need for physical contact."

"How do we do that?"

"I am going to ask something of you that you will not like." I waited for him to continue, nervous. He turned his gaze from me to Ginny. "You mother has been hounding me for information on the two of you, but particularly for information about you, Ginevra. I will grant your request to spend Harry's birthday with your family if you go the day before to spend some time with them on your own."

"No!" My protest left my lips without me even realizing it. I didn't want to be apart from her.

He looked at me with concern. "We need to determine if there is a real issue here, and the only way to do that is to separate you. I am sorry."

I was shaking my head in denial. I could feel my breathing growing ragged and recognised with dread that I was quickly losing control. "Ginny," I gasped out, "get him out of here." I didn't even see him leave. The next thing I knew I was sitting in the middle of the floor, arms wrapped tightly around my legs as a storm raged around me. Even the thought of being without her was devastating to me. I was lost in my own misery when a circle of fire erupted around me. I looked up, dazed, to see Ginny before me. Her hair was alight and it was magnificent.

"Harry." She spoke calmly, coming and sitting directly in front of me. "I'm not going to leave you." I nodded jerkily. "Calm down and come back to me."

Her fire circle grew closer to me, until the flames were licking my feet. It was comforting, reminding me that she was there. I slowly pulled myself back together. She was still here, and even if she left for the day she was coming back to me. She had promised to always come back to me. I felt her small arms come around me and pull me against her. I turned and buried my head in her hair.

"I'm sorry." I whispered in her ear. "I didn't mean to lose control."

She stroked my head softly. "I'm here, love. Calm down now."

With the scent of her hair surrounding me I was able to force myself to be calm once more. When I finally calmed the storm, I wrapped my arms tightly around her. "I can't be without you."

"I know, love." She gently pulled my face away from her neck so that she could see me. "Maybe there is something to this need for contact."

I rolled my eyes. Now she believed me. "I _told_ you."

She giggled. "Yes, but why is it only you? Why don't I feel it?"

I shrugged. "Since when has any of this made sense? I'm still half convinced that you only had this happen because of me."

She smiled. "Maybe, love. Maybe. Now shall we go get the Headmaster? I think you scared him."

I winced. "I didn't mean to."

"I know. Come on."

She stood up and offered a hand to pull me to her side. She led me to the door that led to the second part of our room. We entered together, and I cringed at the worry evident on Dumbledore's face.

"I'm sorry, Professor. I didn't mean to lose control."

The relief on his face when he saw me was profound. He practically beamed. "Nonsense, my boy. I am just relieved that you had enough control to wait until I was out of the room." He eyed me carefully before continuing. "If this is what happens at the mere mention of separating you I hesitate to see what happens when we really do. However, I still think it necessary."

I cringed, and pulled Ginny close to me as I regulated my breathing. I would not lose control again. "Yes. I understand. But I think it best if I stay in this room while she is gone. If I truly lose control, I don't want to be around anyone else."

"Very well. I will inform Mrs. Weasley of your plans."

With a nod to each of us he left us alone. Instantly, I was pulling Ginny into my arms. "Just let me hold you for awhile, please."

She nodded against me and led me to an overlarge chair. We remained curled up together for the rest of the day. It was almost enough to make me forget that she was planning on leaving me for an entire day.

Almost.

* * *

A/N: Sorry things have taken awhile. Computer seems intent on driving me insane. It isn't fixed yet, but I found a way to still work on my stories. I have the next chapter of both Godric's Legacy and War Against Voldemort half way done, so hopefully those will be out soon.


	4. Chapter 3: Separation Anxiety

I was a nervous wreck this morning. It was the day before my birthday, and Ginny was getting ready to leave to spend the day with her family. The last few days we had worked hard, determined to be ready to spend time with her family; neither of us wanted an accident to happen. But I had been growing increasingly anxious as the time of our separation got closer. Ginny had handled this fairly well. We spent all of last evening curled up together in front of the fire, but that wasn't making this morning any easier. She had packed a small bag of her things already and was sitting on the floor, meditating one last time before she left.

I simply sat and watched her until her eyes popped open and she looked up. She smiled slightly at the larger than average breeze that was ruffling her hair. "You have to try and be calm, love."

"I know. I just… I don't like this."

"We're going to have to get used to being apart. Once school starts you won't see me all day."

"But it will only be a few hours at a time then. I just don't like the idea of being away from you for an entire day."

She smiled indulgently at me. I was truly amazed that she hadn't made a fuss about my clinging. I knew I wasn't being very fair to her.

"Just remember that you'll see me again tomorrow morning, and that I love you."

I smiled sheepishly at her. "I know. I love you, too."

She beamed at me. Then, with a quick kiss of goodbye, she was walking out the door.

The minute the door shut behind her I had a mild panic attack. It took every technique I knew not to lose control of myself. But I was able to calm down. Then I decided that it was best to keep myself busy. It had now been nearly three weeks since we got here, and I was able to use Dobby's machines for much longer by now. And I was definitely liking the results of them. I had caught Ginny practically drooling as she watched me work out yesterday. It was a… pleasant feeling to know I could have such an effect on her.

Before I knew it, Dobby was bringing me lunch. He had been discretely checking on me all day, no doubt under Dumbledore's orders. I was actually mildly surprised to realise how much time had passed. I definitely missed Ginny, but it was going better than I expected. The ache I felt for her was manageable.

I decided to read for a bit. Dumbledore had gotten our school books for us so that we could read ahead, and I had been devouring the new Defense book in my spare time. I was sure it could hold my attention today.

I spoke too soon.

I had only read for about an hour when the gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach that I associated with needing Ginny began to distract me. I tried to ignore it and continue reading, but I was unable to focus on the words in front of me. I then called back the weight room and tried to physically distract myself. I had only been at it for a few minutes when I collapsed to the floor in pain.

I couldn't focus. I couldn't breathe right. I could barely even move.

I needed to get to Ginny.

Desperate, I determined that I was going to make my way to Dumbledore's office to use his floo. I knew he didn't want me loose in the castle, particularly when I was feeling like this, but I had to get to Ginny. I pulled myself off the floor and took two steps towards the door when I collapsed once more. I had to get to Ginny! But I couldn't even move. I tried to call out for Dobby to help, but my voice refused to work. My desperation was mounting, and I could feel the wind getting slightly out of control around me. But that gave me an idea. Striving to clear my mind, I forced all my concentration on getting to Ginny. I screwed my eyes shut and used everything I had. If I couldn't get to her now I didn't honestly know if I would make it.

It was when I felt myself drop onto solid ground that I opened my eyes again.

I recognised my surroundings. I was at the Burrow. _Ginny_. I needed her, but I couldn't move, couldn't even speak. Evidently the wind recognised my desperation. I saw a focused gust of wind move towards the house. Hoping with all my might that it was going to find Ginny, I listened as hard as I could.

"Bloody hell! What was that?" It sounded like one of the twins. But I couldn't be sure.

"Harry!" Ginny. Even hearing her voice made me feel a bit better.

"Ginevra Weasley! Where are you going?"

Ginny must have chosen not to answer her mother, because the next thing I heard was a door being thrown open against the wall. I looked up and saw her running towards me. I met her eyes, desperate for her but unable to move. She must have sensed my desperation, because she sent a stream of fire ahead of her. She knew how her fire comforted me. I sighed with relief when it got to me; a little piece of Ginny. I moved my hand slightly into its warmth, holding onto the fire desperately. And then Ginny was next to me, her arms wrapped tightly around me.

It wasn't enough. My arms wrapped around her, pushing up underneath the back of her shirt as I sought her skin; my face was buried into her neck, breathing her in. I sighed at the instant release of the tension in my body. I held her tighter as I slowly got my breath back. I could hear someone making a commotion around us, but I was too focused on her to look up and find out what was going on. It wasn't until I felt strength return to my limbs that I finally pulled my face back enough to see her.

Her eyes were wild with worry. She was crying silently, but her tears were fire running down her cheeks. "Don't ever leave me again," I whispered hoarsely.

"Oh, Harry! I'm sorry!" Her sobs grew worse and she pushed her head into my chest. "You tried to tell me and I didn't believe you. I promise I'll never leave again. I promise."

I pulled her chin up and crashed my mouth down on to hers. I needed her, and the need was penetrating every fiber of my being. I kept kissing her until I had to pull away, panting. I looked down and laughed. "We need to calm down, Ginny."

As usual when we lost ourselves in each other, we were floating and surrounded by our ring of fire. Only this time I could make out her family on the ground, staring up at us wide-eyed. I could also make out the form of Professor Dumbledore; they must have called him when they saw me here.

Returning my attention to Ginny, I wiped away her fire tears. "Calm down, my Ginny. I'm fine now. And we know not to try this again. But we're both okay."

She nodded shakily at my words and then closed her eyes in concentration. I did the same, and it didn't take us long to return to the ground. I'm fairly certain I heard a relieved sigh when the ring of fire disappeared. I stood up and pulled Ginny up with me, still maintaining firm contact with her hand; I wasn't letting her go anytime soon. Then I turned to our audience.

"Harry, I am sorry for not believing you." Professor Dumbledore was looking at me with a grave expression on his face.

I smiled wryly. "It's all right. Even Ginny didn't believe me."

Mrs. Weasley suddenly rushed forward and reached to engulf me in a hug. Then she turned to her daughter and tried to pull her into her arms. In her exuberance, she was pulling Ginny away from me. I wasn't having that.

"I'm sorry to have scared you, Mrs. Weasley, but I would really prefer it if you didn't pull Ginny away from me just yet."

She stepped back, abashed. "I'm sorry, Harry dear. I was just so scared, and I didn't understand what was happening."

"I think we'd all like to know what happened," Mr. Weasley spoke up.

I flushed, looking down at the ground. How could I tell them that I had such a strong need for physical contact with their only daughter it had nearly killed me to be separated from her for a few hours?

"Harry was concerned about being separated from Ginny today," Dumbledore spoke up, and I sighed with relief. I was grateful that he was explaining it for me. "He had told me that he had a need for fairly regular physical contact with her. I am ashamed to say that I dismissed his concerns. I thought he was merely exaggerating, or confusing his feelings for true need. But it would seem that the bond between them does indeed require the physical contact, at least for the time being." He turned to me. "How did you get here, Harry?"

I grinned down at Ginny. "I came the only way I could at the time. I had pushed off the feeling for so long that by the time I realised I needed to get to Ginny I was physically incapable of moving. The only tool I had was the wind, so I asked it to take me."

Ginny stared up at me excitedly. "It worked!"

"Yes. It was amazingly difficult, but it worked."

"That was extremely dangerous, Harry."

I looked up at Dumbledore. "I know. But I couldn't move. I couldn't even speak. When I got here I just collapsed on the ground." I looked down at Ginny. "The wind even had to get her for me."

She nodded. "It scared me. We were sitting talking and this extremely concentrated gust of wind came. I knew it was Harry, because it pushed all the boys aside and sought me out. I knew something must be wrong, so I followed it."

"Well, I think it is safe to assume that Harry will need to stay the night with you. I'll send Dobby with some of your things." He met my eye. "And I will find a way to deal with that other issue you mentioned." I nodded my thanks, for his agreement as well as for his discretion. I knew we would have to have this talk with her parents before tonight, but I was hoping it could wait a bit. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way."

As Dumbledore left, I looked around at the shocked faces around me. Mrs. Weasley was still close to tears, whereas her husband appeared much calmer, but still concerned. Bill was here, and he was frowning towards my hand clasped tightly around Ginny's. I suppose he was concerned by our closeness. I shrugged to myself. There was nothing he could do about it. Especially now that I knew I could always get to her. That knowledge made me feel much better about life. The twins were looking between us in awe; I guess we had put on quite a show. I looked down at Ginny. Her hair was still flaming slightly, and I could fill the wind moving gently around us. Lastly, my eyes met Ron's. He looked nearly ill.

"Are you all right, mate?" He asked quietly.

I shrugged. "I just can't go too long without Ginny around. I'm fine now."

He shook himself. "I've never seen you look so helpless. It was… it was right scary, mate."

I tried to smile reassuringly at him. "We'll be fine, Ron. We're dealing with it." He didn't look convinced, so I decided to distract him. "Feel up to some flying today?"

Ron grinned. "Always."

"Good. I'll have to have Dobby bring my broom." I smirked. "Or maybe I'll see how good of a seeker I make without the aid of one."

"Harry James Potter!" I looked up quickly into the shocked face of Molly Weasley. "You will not be flying without a broom!"

I shrugged. "I've done it before."

"But… absolutely not!"

With a wicked grin, I turned to Ginny. "You ready?"

She smiled. She knew what I was going to do. I wrapped my arms tightly around her waist and closed my eyes for a second. I laughed at the surprised screams below us. I wasn't even doing anything fancy, just floating. Deciding to be daring, I unwrapped myself from Ginny and stepped—figuratively speaking, as I wasn't actually standing on anything—away from her. Then I let the wind have fun.

I hadn't really gotten to let myself go like this before, as we had always been inside, but it was fabulous. The wind seemed to like the freedom I had given it, and it was careful, but I was moving fast. The moves you can pull off without the hindrance of a broom are fabulous; I was twisting and turning and corkscrewing with abandon. After a few minutes, I decided that was enough for now, and made my way back to Ginny. She was still floating placidly, waiting for me. As I stopped in front of her she grinned.

"Can I have some fun now?"

"Sure." I knew Dumbledore had said no big displays, but I figured that was a moot point after my rather dramatic entrance. So I didn't have a problem showing off a bit.

With a whoop of glee, she spread her arms. She released several fireballs, and proceeded to direct them in an aerial dance that was beautiful. I watched, delighted to see her so happy. I glanced down at the looks of awe on her brothers' faces. When I looked back up to her eyes she winked at me. And then I was encased in flames. It was extremely pleasant, but I think we probably should have mentioned that they can't harm me first. I had never heard Molly Weasley curse before. And it was _loud_. With a sigh, Ginny pulled the flames off of me. I grinned at her as she put them out and I lowered us finally back to the ground.

"GINEVRA MOLLY WEASLEY! What were you thinking, setting that boy on fire! You could have seriously harmed him! You shouldn't be playing around like this! I can't believe you…"

"Mum!" I was shocked to see her yell back at her mother, but it served its purpose. Mrs. Weasley stopped screaming in shock. "My fire can never hurt Harry. He was perfectly fine. He even likes it."

Mrs. Weasley was still spluttering in shock. "Really, Mrs. Weasley, I'm just fine. We can never harm each other, so we have fun playing around."

"How can you be sure that you won't hurt each other?" I looked over and met Mr. Weasley's eyes. He looked concerned.

I shrugged. "We just know." I didn't want to mention much about the bonding. I was fairly certain Bill would pound me, and I really didn't want to have to tell Mrs. Weasley about the tattoos.

"That was brilliant!" Ron appeared to be bouncing in place with excitement. I laughed at him; I was glad to see that he was taking this well. I had been a bit worried that he would be jealous over just another thing that made me different.

"Thanks! You should see what we can do when we aren't afraid of hurting anyone. We were relatively careful just now. Ginny can usually contain hers, but mine can get a tad bit… well, large."

Fred and George were looking back and forth between us with identical looks of glee on their faces.

"Hey, Harry?" George asked.

"Do you think…"

"there is anyway…"

"we could make…"

"instant…"

"elemental chews?" Fred finished.

Ginny and I chuckled at them. "Probably not," she answered her brothers. "But that is a good thing. You don't want to know how much work it has taken to get this much control."

Mr. Weasley laughed at the downtrodden looks on his sons' faces. "Let's get inside. I think we've had enough excitement for today."

Ginny led me inside surrounded by her excited brothers. I was trying to ignore Bill's odd look; if he had a problem with me he would mention it. In the sitting room, she pushed me down into a chair and happily curled herself up in my lap. This caused Ron to raise an eyebrow at us, but he shrugged it off without saying anything, for which I was grateful.

It was a fantastic day. Mrs. Weasley fussed over us, but I was expecting that. Ron and I played a game of chess. He got a kick out of the fact that I didn't move Ginny from my lap and simply pushed the pieces around with small, focused gusts of wind. Dinner was delicious, with all of Ginny's favourite dishes. Mr. Weasley was quite curious about our training, and asked us many questions. He was fascinated by the concept of Muggle exercise machines, and we promised to show him how they worked sometime.

It wasn't until bedtime that things got a bit more interesting.

I had been dreading this, but there wasn't anything for it. I needed to be near Ginny. So when Mrs. Weasley mentioned setting up a camp bed in Ron's room, I quietly objected.

"That won't be needed, Mrs. Weasley. I'll be sleeping in Ginny's room."

She stopped in her tracks. "Absolutely not!"

"We really don't have much of a choice, Mum," Ginny said calmly. "You saw what happened when Harry was away from me for more than a few hours. Do you really want to unleash that in the house simply because you don't want us sleeping in the same bed?"

She spluttered and looked at me nervously.

"I really don't want to risk harming any of you, Mrs. Weasley. It seems best that Ginny and I not be separated."

"Harry?" I turned to look at Mr. Weasley. "Is this the concern Dumbledore mentioned fixing?"

I nodded. "After today, we realise that I can't be separated from her for that long. He is going to prepare a special room for us to use once school starts."

The man nodded, and with a resigned look on his face placed a hand on his wife's arm and led her from the room. Taking that as permission, I made to follow Ginny up the stairs.

"Not so fast, Potter." I turned to see Bill glowering at me. "I'd like a word if you don't mind?"

"Sure." Ginny and I both paused.

"You can go on up, Ginny. I won't keep him long."

She glared at him for a minute before stomping up the stairs. I smiled after her; her hair was flaming slightly. When she was out of sight, I turned back to Bill.

"What did you need, Bill?"

"I don't like this Potter." I simply stared at him, waiting for him to continue. "I want you to keep your hands off of her tonight."

I laughed. "That would defeat the whole purpose."

He spluttered angrily. "You mean this was all set up to get in my sister's pants?"

I blushed slightly but answered calmly. "No. I mean that I need contact. Physical contact. And so I will sleep with her in my arms like I usually do."

He glared. "You hurt her and I'll kill you."

I rolled my eyes. He didn't get it. "I couldn't hurt her if I tried. Do you have any idea what that would do to me? I'm more likely to kill myself than harm a hair on her head. And I know just what can happen now if she gets angry. I'd really prefer that to not be directed at me." His glare didn't soften. "Look, I realise that this is hard to accept. How do you think I felt? We don't know why this happened to us, but it did, and so we have to make the best of it. Being angry at something you can't control serves no purpose."

He nodded, albeit grudgingly. "Fine. But you treat her like she deserves."

"I'll treat her like she is the centre of my universe." He looked mildly shocked, but I just shrugged. "It's the truth."

I left him to his thoughts and made my way to Ginny's room. She was sitting on her bed, waiting for me.

"What did he want?"

"Just to remind me how wonderful you are."

She scoffed. "That couldn't be all you talked about."

I grinned at her. "It was the important part."

* * *

I woke up to the gentle sensation of kisses raining all over my face. When I blinked my eyes open I found Ginny smiling down at me.

"Happy birthday, love." I grinned. "What would you like to do today? Mum said Hermione will be coming this morning, and I think Neville, Luna, and Remus are coming for dinner."

"I don't know. I just like being here."

She smiled. "What about taking a swim."

I thought about that, and then grimaced. "Probably not a good idea." She looked confused. "We decided not to tell your mum about your tattoo, remember?"

"Yes. But my suit will cover it."

"True. But mine will be clearly visible. And it wouldn't be a huge leap of logic to assume that if I have one than so will you."

She huffed. "Fine."

"If you bring your suit back with you, I'm sure we can get the Room of Requirement to give us a decent pond."

She considered this for a moment then beamed in approval. "Come on, Mum has breakfast ready for us."

We made our way, laughing, down to the kitchen. Hermione was already sitting at the table, talking to Ron. When we came in she looked up and beamed at me, then launched herself out of her chair and into my arms. She pulled back sheepishly when she felt the wind whipping her hair.

"Sorry. I'm just so excited to see you."

I grinned. "It's all right. It's just not a good idea to startle me, is all."

She laughed, then turned and hugged Ginny too. Then she pulled on Ginny's hand and led us over to the table. "Tell me all about it. I was so concerned when I got Ron's letter explaining what had happened."

Ginny and I launched into our tale. Hermione wanted far more details, particularly about the techniques we used to control our power. She questioned us for so long that by the time she was finished our breakfast had grown cold. But I didn't mind. I knew Hermione would be curious, and it was good to see her.

After breakfast we headed outside for a game of Quidditch. Bill agreed to play keeper opposite Ron, and I played Chaser opposite Ginny while the twins kept their usual positions. Hermione opted to sit and watch. Mrs. Weasley had very firmly told me that I would be using a broom today, and I had grinned in response. Hermione shot me a questioning look at this, and I told her that maybe we would show off some later. I'm sure the others would like to see as well.

Even with my broom, it was still amazing how much easier it was to fly. I wasn't even consciously using my power; I was just so attuned to the wind that I moved with it without even thinking about it. Ginny claimed I was cheating, but she still beat me soundly. I never did make a very good chaser.

In the early afternoon, Neville and Luna arrived. Neville seemed extremely happy to see us, but Luna just stared at us oddly for several minutes. Finally, she turned to Ginny.

"You didn't tell me you were an elementalist, Ginny."

My jaw dropped. How had she known that? I looked over and made sure Ginny wasn't flaming somewhere. Nothing.

Ginny was smiling at her friend. "It didn't happen until this summer."

Luna stared at her hard. "I can't tell what you are. Why are you marked by two elements?"

Ginny glanced at me briefly before responding. "I'm fire. But Harry is air."

Luna nodded. "That makes sense. They have always come in pairs."

"Um… does someone want to explain what is going on?" Neville was looking between us with a bewildered expression on his face.

"Ginny and I have elemental powers, Neville. Ginny can control fire and I can control wind."

"Oh! That sounds cool. Can you show us?"

"Sure. But let's wait for Remus to get here. I'm sure he'll want to see, too."

After a brief squeeze of my hand, Ginny and Hermione grabbed Luna and the girls disappeared. I didn't ask. I knew Ginny had been missing female companionship. I turned to the boys and suggested a game of exploding snap.

It was two hours later, just when it was becoming necessary that I go find Ginny, that Remus Lupin and a grinning Tonks showed up. Remus seemed to relax when he saw me and pulled me into a tight hug.

"I'm glad to see you're all right, Harry. I was worried."

"Sorry about that. Didn't mean to cause such a fuss."

He chuckled softly. "Are things getting easier to control?"

I grinned. "Sure. We've been waiting for you to get here before we showed off a bit."

"Oh, goody!" Tonks exclaimed. "I was hoping I didn't miss the show." She was clearly excited, as her hair was rapidly cycling through several vibrant colours as she bounced in place.

"Nope. In fact why don't we…"

I trailed off as there was another knock at the door. No one else was supposed to be coming, and I knew the Weasleys wouldn't risk surprising me. Thus I was nervous. The girls came down the stairs, looking curiously at the door. Without a word I moved to Ginny's side; we were stronger together, and I wanted to be near her in case I had to protect her. Mrs. Weasley glanced at us anxiously as she moved to answer the door. And then she shrieked in surprise. I was trying to calm my breathing when I heard Ginny gasp beside me.

"Percy?"

I looked up. Standing in the doorway was the third Weasley son and a man with the wildest mane of hair I had ever seen. He looked like a lion.

"Hello, Ginevra, Mother." Percy nodded at his mother, but refused the hug she offered. Then he turned to me. "I was hoping you would be here today, Harry."

"What could you possibly want with me?" I was striving for control, but the appearance of a total stranger was causing my breathing to pick up, and I could see the curtains rustling in the room. Ginny's gave my hand a tight squeeze.

"I would like to introduce you to the new Minister for Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour."

The man beside him stepped forward and offered a hand in my direction, but I just stared at it. He put it down hastily and offered me a forced smile instead.

"It is a great honor to meet you, Mr. Potter. I was wondering if I could trouble you for a minute of your time."

I glanced down at Ginny. She smiled reassuringly at me. "Very well. Perhaps we should take this outside?" I wasn't sure what this was about, but thought it best that I be outside should anything happen.

The Minister nodded. "Certainly."

I released Ginny's hand and made to follow him outside, but Remus stopped me briefly. "We're here if you need help, Harry. Just remember to remain calm."

I nodded and walked past Percy, refusing to even look at him. He had given up the one thing that I had always wanted—a family. I had no respect left for him. I shut the door behind me, and smiled slightly as I saw Ginny's anxious face watching me out the window. I nodded briefly at her. I wouldn't leave her sight.

The Minister was waiting for me. "I appreciate you taking time away from your celebration to speak with me, Harry." He gestured towards the garden. "Shall we walk?"

"I prefer to stay here, Minister."

He nodded. "I don't know if you are aware, but I have been asking Dumbledore to arrange a meeting between us for the last several weeks."

"I did not know that. However, I have been indisposed for nearly a month and under quarantine."

His bushy eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What from?"

"Nothing life threatening. Yesterday was the first day that I ventured outside my room."

He nodded. "I wish to offer our apologies for the way that Minister Fudge treated you last year."

I shut my eyes and took several deep breaths, then looked at him again. "I am glad to hear that the Ministry is acknowledging the situation." I wasn't about to offer my forgiveness. Not until he showed that he truly was different.

"We are very much aware of it. Which is why I am here today. I would like your help, Harry."

I stared at him. "I don't really know how much help a sixteen year old boy could be, Minister." Especially given his ignorance of the power I now wielded.

"Ah, but you are not just a normal boy. You are Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived. People are calling you the Chosen One."

"Really? I didn't not know that." This was surprising news. No one knew of the prophecy. Were people just assuming I would save them as I did as a child, or was there more to it?

"Yes. People are looking to you." He paused briefly. "I wish to help you."

I resisted the urge to laugh. "And how would you help me, sir?"

"If you were to take the time to come in to the Ministry, I could offer you training with the best of my Aurors. We could provide protection and advice."

"That is a generous offer, Minister, but I neither need nor want your protection or advice. I am doing just fine on my own."

"Really, Harry? Just a month ago you had to be rescued by Dumbledore, did you not?"

I grimaced at the reminder. "A lot has changed in a month."

His gaze was questioning, but I refused to elaborate. "And I cannot change your mind."

I met his gaze head on. "I have no desire to be the Ministry's poster boy, sir."

His eyes hardened. "Very well. My congratulations on your birthday."

Without another word he turned and walked away. I watched him until he got to the end of the lane, and then he disappeared with a swirl of his cloak. Taking a deep breath, I made my way back towards the house. Ginny met me at the door, throwing her arms around my neck.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes. I'm fine."

"What did he want, Harry?" I looked up and saw Remus looking at us with concern.

"He wanted me to be his poster boy."

I heard a scoff and turned to see that Percy was still there. "The Minister is merely looking out for the best interests of the magical community. He recognises that you are a symbol of hope to the people and wishes to protect and assist you."

"I don't need protection, Percy."

He primly pushed his glasses up his nose. "It would seem otherwise. I was informed that last month you had to be rescued from the Department of Mysteries. We have also learned that you caused the death of your godfather, Sirius Black, that night."

I screwed my eyes shut, trying to block him out.

"There are also Aurors who stated that they witnessed you begging Professor Dumbledore to kill you because it was too much for you to handle."

They knew _nothing_.

I turned instantly and ran out the door. I would not destroy their home. I continued running, trying to get as far away as I could before I lost it. I made it to the edge of the Quidditch clearing, and then I let loose a scream of rage. I reached up towards the sky, where storms clouds were gathering, and pulled a lightning bolt towards me. I caught it and threw it with everything I had towards the ground. I turned and caught another one and threw it without even looking. It wasn't enough. With a loud cry I watched as lightning exploded around me in a constant stream.

"Harry!"

I turned, nearly blind in my anger, and threw another bolt. Then my eyes popped wide in surprise and I watched in shock as it passed harmlessly through Ginny. She didn't even pause, just kept running towards me. She launched herself at me, and wrapped her arms and legs tightly around me.

"Focus on me, love. Everything will be all right."

I stared into her brown eyes and tried to calm my breathing.

"Come back to me, love." Her small hands were running through my hair, and I could feel the flames coming out of them, calming me with their warmth.

I stared into her eyes as I fought for calm. Finally, I managed to smile at her. Her answering grin was blinding, and her hair sparked to life for me. With a sigh, I put her down and turned to see the astonished faces staring at us. Tonks was literally jumping with excitement. Hermione had a hungry look in her eyes as she watched the wind die down around us. But it was Percy who drew my gaze. His hair was still smoking, and I could see scorch marks on his clothes. I turned to Ginny and raised one eyebrow in question.

"I may have gotten a tad angry at him."

"A tad." I said dryly. He looked more than a little worse for the wear.

"Yes. A tad. I'm sure he knows better than to antagonise you now."

I laughed, and then turned to his wide-eyed look. "You can tell your Minister that I am perfectly capable of protecting myself now, and that it would be best for him to not make me angry."

The twins chose that moment to break out into laughter. They were soon followed by Ron and Neville, and then Mr. Weasley. I guess it really was pretty funny. Percy nodded in dazed shock before turning and making his way down the road. I sniggered when I noticed that he seemed to be having trouble walking in a straight line.

"Well, it seems we got our demonstration, Harry." I looked up at a grinning Tonks.

"Sorry about that. Didn't mean to lose control."

She laughed. "It was hilarious. What else can you do?"

I looked down into Ginny's smiling face. "Ready?"

She nodded. With hardly a thought we were floating once more. This time I let Ginny have the fun of flying around. She squealed in pleasure the entire time. When I brought her back to me she winked and started throwing fire balls at me. Evidently she wanted me to play. I caught as many as I could and started playing with them. When I could no longer hold any more, the wind caught them for me. I wasn't nearly as adapt as Ginny at controlling them, but I could still have fun. Eventually, Ginny took them back and put them out, and I reluctantly returned us to the ground.

I had barely made it to the ground when Hermione exclaimed, "Can I try?"

I looked over at her in shock. "But you hate to fly."

"Yes, but maybe I could play with the fire." Hermione was nearly bouncing with excitement. It was amusing to see.

Ginny laughed. "That's not a good idea, Hermione."

"But why not? Harry did." She was pouting, looking like someone had just told her she no longer had access to the library.

"Yes, but my fire can't burn Harry. You don't have the same immunity."

She looked back and forth between us for a few moments. "What do you mean immunity?"

"We can't harm each other. It's what allows us to work together." I answered.

Hermione looked like someone had killed her cat. "Oh. I really wanted to try."

"You sure you don't want to fly a bit, 'Mione? I promise I'll keep it simple."

She considered carefully before nodding slowly. "Nothing fancy or too high, Harry."

I nodded. It took a bit more concentration to lift Hermione than it did Ginny, I suppose because I wasn't tied to her in any way. I lifted her about a foot off the ground and moved her slowly around for a bit before setting her gently back down. She was beaming at me.

"Oi! What about me?" Ron asked eagerly.

I smiled. For the rest of the afternoon I gave flying lessons to whoever wanted them. Ginny sat nearby with Tonks, Hermione, and Luna. Hermione had brought up the idea of altering the colour of Ginny's fire, and Tonks had made a game of it. She would alter her hair to a colour and ask if Ginny could replicate it. Ginny had taken to the idea enthusiastically, and soon she was playing with multi-coloured flames.

It was a good day.

After a delicious meal with all my favourite dishes, Ginny and I were passed two large boxes.

"Why do I get one Dad? My birthday isn't for another two weeks."

"We went together on your presents, and they are basically the same thing. So we thought it appropriate to have you open them together."

Ginny and I exchanged a curious glance before tearing into our presents together. I was confused when I opened the box, but Ginny evidently knew what she was looking at, because she gasped in shock. She looked up at her parents with her eyes swimming in fire.

"Really?"

"We thought it would help the two of you now that you will undoubtedly be fighting with your elements." Mrs. Weasley was smiling gently at her daughter.

I looked down in confusion. "Um… not to appear ungrateful, but can someone explain to me what this is."

The occupants of the room looked at each other and then burst out laughing.

"Sorry, Harry," Hermione began. "We forgot you wouldn't know what this was."

"That is dragon hide, Harry." Remus spoke up from his corner. "Dragons are naturally resistant to not only spells but many of the elements as well. As they are creatures of the air, their hide protects them from the force of the wind, and as they are also creatures of fire their hide is also flame resistant. We didn't know that you would naturally be resistant to each other's powers, so we figured this would help."

I looked down in awe. Carefully, I lifted out the piece on top and discovered that it was an emerald green coat that looked like it would go down to my ankles. Beneath it, there was a vest and then trousers. At the very bottom was a pair of boots.

"Charlie found the hide for us, Harry." I looked up at Mrs. Weasley. "Yours is made out of Welsh Green. We thought the colour would be appropriate." I looked over at Ginny's box and saw similar articles in a brilliant red colour that matched her hair. "Ginny's is made of Chinese Fireball."

I looked back up in shock. "Thank you." I couldn't explain what this meant to me, but I didn't think I needed to. As I looked around at my family and friends in shock, I saw that they knew.

* * *

Professor Dumbledore was waiting for us as we stepped out of the floo. Ginny and I hadn't wanted to risk trying to use our elements to get back until we had a bit more practice.

"Good evening. I hope you enjoyed your day."

"Yes, thank you. It was wonderful." I remembered Percy's surprise. "Mostly."

He looked at me questioningly. "Mostly?"

"Percy came by with the new Minister."

"Ah. Yes, the Minister has been trying to get me to authorise a visit with you. I imagine the visit did not go well."

I smiled wryly. "I was able to keep my cool with the Minister. Told him I didn't want his help or to be his poster boy."

"I imagine he did not like that."

I grinned. "No, I don't think he did." I sighed. "But then after he left Percy started in on me, and I couldn't take it. I, ah, may have called a lightning storm."

"I see. Did the Burrow survive?"

"Yeah, I was able to get out of the house first."

"But Percy wasn't so lucky." Ginny was grinning with pride. "I daresay his clothes will never be the same, and it will take several weeks for his hair to grow again."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Did Percy witness your storm, Harry?"

"Yes. I'm sorry. I know you were hoping to keep this quiet."

He sighed heavily. "Yes, it would have been nice. However, we have no hope of hiding this once school starts. I am simply not looking forward to Rufus' next visit. I imagine he will have a few words for me tomorrow morning."

"I am sorry to put you in this position, sir."

"Nonsense, my boy. I can deal with the Ministry. And perhaps it is a good thing that he now knows not to antagonise you." He looked thoughtful for a few moments. "I fear it is best that we allow Severus to pass this information on to Voldemort now."

I grimaced. Ginny spoke up. "Perhaps we could claim that it didn't happen until today? It would make sense, as it is Harry's birthday." I knew she was worried about Snape if Voldemort found out he hid this information. I, personally, cared little for the fate of the Potion's Master. She was a better person than I.

"That is an excellent idea. I do, however, think it best that we keep word of your bond from reaching either Voldemort or the Ministry. The house elves are building you a special room in Gryffindor tower even as we speak. There will be an entrance in both of your dorm rooms, so no one should be aware that you are, in fact, sharing a room."

"Thank you, sir."

"I also think it will be necessary to explain your new powers at the welcome feast." I cringed. "While I know you dislike appearing anything other than normal, it would be wise to address any concerns the students may have before they arise." He looked at me carefully. "I will ask you two for a small demonstration. Please keep it simple. Our goal is merely to illustrate the inadvisability of provoking either of you, not display the full extent of your powers."

"Of course, Headmaster." Ginny squeezed my hand. "We understand." She looked over at me. "It might be best to have Professor Snape speak with certain members of his house. If Malfoy is his usual self…"

She didn't have to finish her thought. I knew what she was concerned about, as I had been thinking about it as well.

"I will speak to him about it. I will also speak to him about refraining from antagonising you in class, Harry."

I nodded gratefully.

* * *

A/N: There were some really excellent ideas as to why Harry was feeling the way he does. (Actually, I really like the idea that his bad childhood made things worse… might have to use that…) But as you can see in this chapter, most of his anxiety was magical, due to their bond. Ginny does not have the same issues with needing physical contact. That is not to say that the bond is unequal, merely that she will have a different type of need… which won't become apparent for several chapters as it is much more subtle.

So, I'm working several chapters ahead in this story, and I've run across a snag. The Diadem of Ravenclaw: if they knew what it was and were in the Room of Requirement (but not the chamber of Hidden Things that it is actually located in) would the room provide it? I'm having trouble with that Horcrux, as the only reason Harry knows where it is is because he saw it in Half-Blood Prince, and I'm clearly not going to have that part.

Also, a fair warning, there is a chance I might bump the rating up in this story. I don't do explicit content, but I do allude to quite a bit later.


	5. Chapter 4: Unwanted Fame

Rufus Scrimgeour sat in his office, completely baffled. Young Percival Weasley had just reported to him that, after he left the home of the Weasley's today, both Harry Potter and Ginevra Weasley had lost control and displayed legendary powers.

There had been elementalists before, but they only seemed to pop up ever thousand years or so, and as such there was little to no reliable information about them. Even his discrete inquiries to one of the Unspeakables hadn't produced any reliable information. So he had no concept of just how much power the young people now had at their disposal.

If it was anything like he feared, he very much did _not_ want to anger young Potter. And evidently, he had come close to doing just that today.

So now he had a choice to make. He could expose them for what they were, though he really had no evidence he could present. If this had happened last year, he might have done just that. But public opinion about Potter had shifted drastically recently. Whereas before he had been considered an attention-seeking has-been, a near pariah, now he was been lauded as a hero. Scrimgeour could not afford to openly come out against Potter; the bad press would destroy his career. The other option was to not announce anything. This option went severely against the grain of the ex-Auror, but he saw little else he could do. Maybe, if he kept his wits about him, he could find a way to force Potter to do as he wished.

With a heavy sigh, the Minister resolved to wait and watch. He was quite good at that.

* * *

Ginny and I returned to the Burrow on her birthday, and spent the day once more with her family. This time we travelled straight there. It had taken a bit of work, but we had finally managed to get the hang of travelling. I could go anywhere in the wind, and I could bring Ginny with me, though when I had tried to travel with Professor Dumbledore it hadn't worked. He was a bit disappointed at this, but said he wasn't surprised. It took a bit longer for Ginny, but I think that was just because I already knew what it felt like. Once I was able to take her with me she managed it quickly enough.

The month of August passed with us continuing to work on our control. We often went out onto the grounds and tried some of the bigger things. Professor Flitwick usually joined us for these outings. He seemed giddy at the prospect of being around two elementalists. Flitwick had had the idea to try and use our elements as a shield of sorts. Ginny's worked better for this, as she could make a wall of flames which most spells could not get through. Mine was trickier. I had to use focused gusts of wind to redirect spells. It was more difficult, but we hadn't found a spell it didn't work on. Professor Dumbledore had even grudgingly fired a Cruciatus and Imperius at me. He refused to try the Killing Curse. Flitwick often helped us with this practice. Professor Snape even came and watched once. He sneered in my direction but made no further move to antagonise me. I was relieved.

Ginny and I were anxious to truly test our powers, however, and we had been begging Dumbledore to let us help the Order. I understood his reluctance, but really. Voldemort already knew about us (Snape grudgingly told us that the knowledge had thrown Voldemort into a towering rage for over a week) and we were perfectly capable of protecting ourselves. And I knew we could help.

It wasn't until today that he had finally agreed, on a limited basis.

Ginny and I were pulling on our dragon hide armour when Dumbledore entered the room. He looked visibly nervous to have us going out, but I knew as well as him that we were the only ones who had a chance of making a difference with this situation. The Dementors had completely abandoned Azkaban prison, and were feasting on the unsuspecting populace of Britain. Wizards could fight them off individually, but not destroy them. Dumbledore had told us earlier this morning that the only time he had managed to destroy one was when Fawkes had flamed directly on top of an unsuspecting Dementor. They had tried to use fire again, but the Dementors were rather adept at avoiding it and it was difficult for wizards to control the direction of the flames.

Hence Ginny and me. She would create the flames and I could help her control them. The Dementors would not be able to escape. I grinned as she pulled on her red coat. She looked like a living flame encased in all that red dragon hide. It was fantastic.

"I will have Fawkes take us there together. Are you ready?"

I nodded my head and held out my hand for Ginny to take. "Yes, sir." Fawkes was sitting on Ginny's shoulder, preening. He seemed quite taken with her, and would trill with joy every time she let a small lick of flame run up to him.

"Remember, we are going to try and remain far enough away that the Dementors cannot directly attack us." He looked at me as he said this. I knew he was worried about my strong reaction to Dementors. "Hopefully my Patronus will be strong enough to counteract their effects."

With a beat of his wings, Fawkes flew above us. He held out his long tail, and all of three of us grabbed a feather. If I hadn't already experienced the same thing, it probably would have frightened me to be surrounded by flame. Instead, it felt weird. I was used to the flames being comforting, but that was only when they came from Ginny. These seemed cold and empty to me, a truly odd sensation for fire to have.

We appeared above a large mountain plain. All the vegetation was dead and black, and the air was cold and foggy. Dumbledore had said that the fog meant the Dementors were breeding; it was a terrifying thought. Silently, a silver phoenix appeared in front of us, blocking some of the cold. Dumbledore nodded at us, and we both took a large breath before turning to the scene in front of us that was practically crawling with figures in black cloaks. Ginny called up a large ring of fire, enclosing the whole area, in case any tried to escape. Then she let loose a stream of fire from her open hands. I grabbed this with a strong bit of wind and directed it straight at the closest figure.

What followed was a terrifying and yet exhilarating experience. At first, the Dementors tried to run, or glide I guess, away from the approaching flames. But when the fire struck the first one, they seemed to still in shock. The Dementor screamed an unholy sound of pain and terror, but continued to burn. When it finally disappeared in an explosion of flame, I watched in amazement as several white shapes were revealed before fading out of existence. Professor Dumbledore had explained that if one could kill a Dementor it would release the souls of all those it had kissed to move on. The sight of those souls being freed caused Ginny to laugh with joy. The Dementors looked up at the sound, but they seemed to fear us. Ginny's fire grew stronger, and I directed it with unerring accuracy.

We left behind a charred circle of ground.

Three more times Professor Dumbledore had Fawkes bring us to Dementor gatherings, and three more times we left only smoke and ash behind us. By the end of the night we were exhausted, but Dumbledore thought we had destroyed nearly the entire Dementor community. It was a good night.

* * *

It was the first of September, and Ginny and I were packing our things. It felt odd not to be riding the train, but I understood why we couldn't. Malfoy would no doubt be by for his customary greeting, and neither of us could afford to lose control on the train. Our control had definitely gotten better over the past month. I had gone and deliberately provoked Snape yesterday, and was able to keep it down to a light breeze. Ginny was much better at this than I was. But then again, it didn't really matter if her hair started flaming, but it could be dangerous if I called a lightning storm down again.

I was going to miss our solitude, but I was looking forward to seeing my friends again, and I knew Ginny needed female companionship again. Despite how much I might want to, I knew I couldn't keep her all to myself. Ginny had given me a solemn promise to always be at lunch and dinner; that way I could fulfil my need for contact without resorting to anything obvious.

We walked hand in hand up to Gryffindor tower, our trunks floating behind us on a gentle gust of wind. I smiled as we got to the portrait of the Fat Lady. Dumbledore had clearly chosen the password with us in mind.

"Fire storm," I told her. She beamed and opened for us. We split up at the stairs, wanting to find our own entrances to our room.

I entered the dorm room I had lived in for the last five years, and looked around curiously. There was one less bed, and on the wall behind where my bed used to be was a small door. The Headmaster had informed me that the doors were spelled to only open for him, Ginny, and me. The room wasn't as large as what we had lived in for the last two months, but it looked comfortable. There was a large bed and two dressers and desks, as well as a small fireplace with a couch in front of it. I could see three other doors besides the one I had come through; I assumed we each had our own loo, and the last door led to Ginny's dorm room. Curious, I opened the door and stuck my head out. I wasn't sure if the charm against boys extended to the dorm room itself or just the stairs, but I didn't want to risk it. So instead I just looked around. Ginny was standing in the middle of the room looking around; she looked up when she heard the door open, and smiled softly at me.

"You're not going to use this to your advantage, are you Mr. Potter?"

"Why would I want to peak in on any girl besides you?"

She laughed and joined me in our room. We unpacked our trunks as we talked about the coming term. We hadn't used our normal magic all summer, as we were concerned that even though we were at Hogwarts the Minister would use that against us. Because of this, neither of us was sure if the elements would affect our normal spells. It would be an interesting week.

Eventually, the light began to fade and we decided it was time to make our way down to the Great Hall. We walked slowly, enjoying each other's company. I knew that we would probably never be alone like this again, and I was going to miss it. Ginny had let her hair sparkle all day, and I was constantly putting my hands in it. We discovered a rather interesting side effect of wearing robes again; I had a near constant breeze around me, and Ginny, too, when she was close, and it was twisting my robes around my legs as I walked. Ginny giggled and told me it added to my intimidation factor.

I scowled at her.

We entered the Great Hall to find it empty of all but the teachers; the students had not arrived yet. Ginny and I walked to the front of the Gryffindor table and sat down. And then we waited.

It was about twenty minutes later that the first students startled trickling in. Many of them shot us odd looks, obviously recognizing the fact that we had not been on the train. Several DA members called out greetings to us, and we waved. Neville was the first of our close friends to join us, as he didn't have prefect duties. He sat across from us and grinned.

"Hey, Neville," I greeted him. "How was the train ride?"

He chuckled. "It was fantastic. Malfoy had a fit when he couldn't find you."

I smiled. It was always nice to mess with his plans. Ginny and Neville talked quietly while I kept an eye out for Ron and Hermione. They came in a couple of minutes later, Hermione looking frazzled and shooting Ron death glares. Nothing new there. They sat down next to Neville.

"All right, you two?"

Ron nodded and grinned, but Hermione frowned at him and crossed her arms. "Ronald decided it would be fun to scare some of the second years. He said the carriages were pulled by invisible monsters."

"They _are_ pulled by invisible monsters, 'Mione."

"I would hardly call a thestral a monster, Ronald. They are simply misunderstood creatures."

I rolled my eyes at the two of them and tuned them out. One day they would stop fighting and realise they were both mad about each other, but I wasn't holding my breath for that to happen anytime soon. The hall continued to fill around us for several minutes, and then Professor McGonagall entered leading a line of first year students. My attention wandered during the song and sorting. Hermione shot me a glare, but I just played with Ginny's fingers. It was when Dumbledore stood up that I returned my attention to the front.

"Welcome back for another year! While I will save most of our announcements for after the feast, there is one thing I wish to address first." His expression grew grave. "Over the summer two of our students came into a pair of remarkable powers. They have spent the entire summer training hard to be able to control their new powers; however, I must warn you that these powers can be quite wild and if antagonised, there is no telling what they will do. You will refrain from angering either of these students. You will also refrain from questioning them about their powers. If they wish to show you something it will be on their own terms." He paused and looked around the room. The students were silent in their curiosity to hear more. "Because I wish to impress upon you how serious this is, I have asked these two students to provide a small demonstration tonight." He turned and smiled down at us. "Harry, Ginny, if you will."

There was a large gasp of shock that flowed through the hall as Dumbledore sat down and Ginny and I stood up. I squeezed her hand nervously before taking a deep breath. There were several screams as I rose above the long tables, floating twenty feet in the air. Then I looked down at Ginny and brought her up with me; she came to a rest across the hall from me and gave me a reassuring smile. With another calming breath, I held my hand out. I had only gotten the hang of this a week ago, but figured it was suitably impressive without having to demolish the entire hall as I would if I called a storm down. Out of my open hand a bolt of lightning escaped and raced directly towards Ginny. I grinned as the hall broke out in screams around us. The bolt never reached Ginny. She opened her hands and released a shield of fire, which absorbed the impact. Then it was her turn. She released a sequence of different coloured fireballs and allowed them to dance around the hall. Finally, Ginny closed her eyes and burst into flames. She pulled the flames back until only her hair was on fire and looked up at me. I pulled her to me in a tight corkscrew pattern, then lowered us both back to our seats.

A hush fell over the hall, and Dumbledore stood back up. "As you can see, Harry and Ginny are the first elementalists since Merlin himself. What they showed you today was only a small portion of what they are capable of. Mr. Potter, in particular, was quite restrained; his power over the wind could level this entire castle if truly unleashed." I tried to avoid all the curious and frightened gazes that were directed my way. "Again, I must ask that you leave the two of them alone or suffer the consequences. Now, on to more pleasant matters: let the feast begin!"

Dumbledore resumed his seat, and the hall immediately filled with excited whispers. Ginny and I ducked our heads as nearly everyone strained to get a look at us.

"I see you got the lightning to work, Harry."

I looked up gratefully at Hermione, recognizing her attempt to distract me. "Yes. Only a couple of days ago. It requires a different kind of concentration than simply calling it down to me. It took me awhile before I learned to aim it properly, too."

"It was brilliant, mate." Ron, for the first time in anyone's memory, was not absorbed in his food. He was staring at me with awe. "I can't wait to see what you do to Malfoy when he tries something."

I looked up at him sharply. "Do you really want that to happen, Ron? I could very well kill him."

Ron blanched. "Oh, I hadn't thought of that. I just want to see you put him in his place."

"Well I hope he listens to Dumbledore and leaves me alone for the first time in his life."

Ginny leaned into my side. "Or at least hope he waits until your outside. There it is much easier to redirect your anger."

We finished our meal in relative peace. Most of the students were staring at us, but very few of them were brave enough to actually approach us. Seamus and Dean stopped by, Seamus exclaiming loudly over our display. I was more worried about the odd looks Dean was giving Ginny. I would have to ask her about that later. Katie Bell came by and asked if I was still going to be able to play seeker. I grinned at her.

"Definitely. Though Professor Dumbledore told me I actually had to fly with a broom." I pretended to pout. "He's no fun."

She stared at me in shock. "You can fly without a broom?"

"You should see it, Katie," Ron said. "He's bloody brilliant. And he even let me fly for a bit. It was amazing. Really helped improve my game."

She grinned at me. "You up to doing that for the rest of us?"

"Sure. First practice after try outs."

Several other people stopped by throughout the meal, and I spoke with them briefly. I was getting concerned, as Ginny was getting quieter and quieter as the meal went on. She would return my smile every time I looked at her, but it was weak. Finally, as Ron was eating his third helping of desert, I decided I had had enough.

"What's wrong, Ginny?"

She smiled at me again. "Nothing. Don't worry about it."

I rolled my eyes. "I don't believe that for a second. So just tell me."

With a huff of frustration, she exploded. "Can't you see all of these girls are just interested in you because of how powerful you are? They see you do something remarkable and now they are falling all over themselves trying to talk to you. It's disgusting and…"

It took me a minute before I was able to cut her off. I had been distracted by her hair sparking to life. "Wait a minute, what girls are you talking about? You know I'm not interested in anyone but you."

"Yes, but they are still looking."

"Then let them look. I'm too busy staring at you to even notice."

Slowly, her full smile returned.

"And how do you think I liked it when Dean came over and was giving you odd looks?"

She cringed. "That was different."

"How?"

"Remember, I told you I was dating Dean at the end of last term."

I froze. I had completely forgotten. She _had_ mentioned she was dating Dean on the train ride home. I stared at her in horror. I wanted to scream, _but what about me_! She recognised my distress, which wasn't surprising, as all the candles within a ten metre radius of me had been blown out by the wind that was circling me. She put her two hands on either side of my face.

"You know I love you, Harry. When Dumbledore told me what was going on and what would happen between the two of us, I wrote Dean immediately. I was only with him in the first place because I thought I couldn't have you. I broke up with him before anything happened between us." Her small hand wound around my back and lightly caressed the spot where my tattoo resided. "Remember, you're mine and I'm yours."

I relaxed against her. "I'm sorry, Ginny. It's just, the idea of you with anyone else…"

I didn't have to finish my thought. She knew how I felt.

She gave me a quick kiss, then pushed me away from her with an impish grin and returned to her pie.

Dumbledore had dismissed us—after introducing the new Potion's Professor, a large man named Slughorn, and informing us that Snape would now be teaching Defence—and the group of us hung back, waiting for the hall to clear a bit before we tried to leave. We were watching Hermione scold Ron for not finishing his summer homework when I felt a strange pair of arms wrap around my neck from behind. I stiffened. This was not Ginny. Ginny was warm and comforting. These arms felt cold and unfeeling.

"Harry," a voice purred in my ear. I cringed. I was hoping to avoid Cho for the entire term. Why was she trying to hang all over me?

Without looking at her, I reached up and pulled her arms off of me. Then I turned around, leaning away from her as much as possible. "Yes, Cho?"

"I missed you this summer."

"Um, okay?"

"When are we going to," she paused to trail a hand along my chest. I recoiled from her touch. "…catch up?"

Cho yelped as my chest erupted in small flames. She pulled her hand back and held it against her, and turned an angry glare on Ginny.

"What was that for? You burned me!"

"Yes, I did." Ginny looked smug and I smiled at her.

"I think she objected to you touching her boyfriend," I put in helpfully.

Cho's eyes shot to mine. "But… I thought…"

I looked directly at her. I knew that she would keep trying unless I put a stop to this. Decisively. "Did you know that you are the girl in this school who looks the least like Ginny? I thought I could distract myself from the fact that she was taken. Luckily, I came to my senses rather quickly." I turned to look at Ginny. She was smiling softly at me, and I watched her hair erupt in small flames. I sighed as I brought my hand up to play with it. "I love it when you do that." I heard Cho burst into tears beside me, and reluctantly turned to her. "Whatever you may have thought was between us is long over, Cho. I'm sorry to cause you pain, but I'm with Ginny and I plan to be for as long as she'll have me."

Ginny laughed. "Then you're in it for the long haul, Potter."

Cradling a mildly burned hand to her chest, Cho turned and ran out of the hall. I turned back to my fiery goddess. "Want me to stick around for awhile, huh?"

"Now that I've got you I don't plan on letting you go any time soon."

I grinned. "Good."

"Ginny," Hermione's annoyed voice interrupted me as I was dipping my head down for a kiss. I turned and glared at her. "You really shouldn't have done that."

"But it was brilliant!" Ron exclaimed.

"You could have really hurt her!"

"I knew what I was doing, Hermione. She was told not to antagonise either one of us. Instead she came over here and draped herself right over Harry in front of his girlfriend. I consider that a deliberate provocation."

"But Ginny…"

"Hermione, leave her be. I'm glad she got Cho to leave me alone. And we both know that only something drastic would get through that girl's head."

Hermione huffed in annoyance but let it drop. With a relieved sigh I wrapped my arm around Ginny's waist and we walked up to Gryffindor tower. I was a little nervous about this; I'm sure most of the house was waiting up for Ginny and I. I wondered if they would believe me if I said I was really tired? I somehow doubted it. With a resigned sigh, I continued walking.

As we got to the hallway with the portrait in it, Hermione turned back to us. "You two wouldn't happen to have anything to do with the new password, would you?"

Ginny grinned at her. "Dumbledore set it, but what do you think?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and gave the password to the Fat Lady, who was sitting in her frame with her friend Violet staring intently at Ginny and I. Those two loved to gossip. Ginny and I climbed through the portrait hole and were greeted by the entire house, all of whom were staring at us. I stared back for several seconds, until I heard a voice from the back and looked up to see Parvati.

"How did this happen, Harry?"

I sighed. "I have no idea. I woke up one morning and nearly tore my entire neighbourhood apart."

"That's better than Ginny, mate," Ron spoke up with a grin. "It took us a week to fix all the scorch marks in the house."

Ginny scowled at her brother. "Would you like me to give you another one?"

He held up his hands in surrender. "I'm just saying."

I wrapped my arm around her waist and leaned over to whisper in her ear. "He's just teasing you."

"I know. Doesn't mean I like it."

"How 'bout I promise to scare him for you the next time he asks me to take him flying?"

She grinned up at me. "Depends on how much you scare him."

"How long has this been going on?" I looked up and saw Colin gesturing between the two of us, his eyes on my arm around her waist.

I smirked. "Not nearly long enough."

The room laughed as Ginny blushed slightly.

"So? Are you going to show us anything?"

I couldn't identify the speaker this time, so I just addressed the crowd. "Ginny and I both are tired and need our rest."

"Come on! You just want to get out of showing us anything!"

"No." My voice was firm. "I just don't think it's very smart to unleash any kind of storm in such a crowded room. Unless someone wants to volunteer to be my target for lightning practice?" Most everyone took a step back from me at that. "Ginny and I are both going to bed. We have our own separate rooms now, to protect you guys should anything happen, so don't try to get in."

I propelled us both towards the staircases, glaring at anyone who didn't get out of my way. At the foot of the stairs I gave Ginny a quick kiss goodnight and wished her pleasant dreams. The entire room didn't need to know that I would be sleeping right beside her.

* * *

Whispers followed me everywhere I went the next day. I inadvertently scared a couple of first years when I smiled at them. I sent some younger Slytherins running in fear just by walking through the corridors. I spent half the morning fighting to control my frustration before it got out of hand, and the other half desperately missing Ginny. Surprisingly enough, Defence class did not add to my frustration, as Snape simply ignored me the whole time. I loved it. Also, my spells were coming out easier, but I took that to be because I had much better control of my emotions and magic. But none of these things distracted me from the fact that Ginny wasn't by my side. By the time lunch came around, I had to restrain myself from sprinting down to the Great Hall to see her. She was waiting for me at the table, a seat saved next to her and a large smile on her face. I breathed out a sigh at the sight of her and slipped in beside her. Instantly my hand found hers and I was able to breathe freely again. I kissed her cheek in greeting.

"I missed you."

She smiled at me, concern in her large brown eyes. "Was it too horrible?"

"No. It only really started to bug me towards the end. I'll be fine."

"Good. Now give me my hand back so I can eat something."

I looked down sadly at our entwined hands. I really didn't want to let go. With an understanding look, she pulled her school robes up a bit and pushed her bare ankle over until it found mine. With a smile of gratitude I released her hand and filled my own plate.

She told me about her morning classes, and complained about the large amount of homework that she already had been assigned. I promised to help her any way I could, then bent down and kissed the top of her head. The tips of her hair flamed in response. After lunch I reluctantly let her go as I followed Ron and Hermione down to the Potions lab. I didn't know what to expect from the new professor. Dumbledore had told me that he had a habit of collecting talented students around him, and that he would most likely very much want to collect me. I'm not sure how I felt about that.

We chose seats all together towards the back of the room and waited. I was trying to avoid looking anywhere in the vicinity of Malfoy; he was glaring at me, but had so far refrained from actually saying anything towards me, and I was counting my blessings. The door opened and the large figure of Professor Slughorn came in. He looked around the room curiously and his eyes landed on me with a gleam. He walked up towards his desk, and I noticed the cauldrons that were waiting around the room already filled with various bubbling potions. The potion bubbling on our table held the best fragrance in the world; I had no doubt what it was—it was the smell of Ginny's hair. Even the smell calmed the small tensing in my stomach that had developed since I had last seen her.

Slughorn went around the room and asked if anyone could recognise each of the potions. I listened half-heartedly, though I did recognise several of them. When Slughorn asked about the potion sitting in front of me, I perked up and paid better attention. I was curious. Hermione immediately recognised the potion.

"It's Amortentia!" She looked over quickly at me and smiled slightly. I wondered if she knew what I smelled. "It's the most powerful love potion in the world."

Slughorn beamed at her, and asked what she smelled. I laughed as she described books and grass, and then stuttered to a stop with an embarrassed glance at Ron. He didn't catch this. Slughorn then turned to me.

"And what do you smell, Mr. Potter?"

I smiled happily. "Ginny."

His eyes widened. "Only the one smell?"

"Yes."

He watched me curiously for several minutes before explaining the effect of Amortentia. I just listened with half of my attention, and leaned forward to smell some more. My attention snapped back towards Professor Slughorn as he explained that the potion on his desk was called Felix Felicis, and that it was liquid luck. My eyes widened. This could be useful. Indeed, many of these potions could be useful. I looked around carefully and spotted some empty vials on a shelf. Hoping no one was looking that way, I quietly moved them towards several cauldrons and slowly siphoned a small amount into each one. Then I brought the vials to me and hastily stuffed them in my bag. I had taken not only some Felix Felicis, but some Veritaserum and Polyjuice as well.

Slughorn set us to making the Draught of Living Death. My potion did not turn out nearly as well as Hermione's, but Slughorn still seemed to hover around trying to speak with me. I mostly ignored him. However, when class ended he called me back.

"Harry, my boy, if I could have a quick word with you?"

Hermione and Ron turned back but I waved them on. No need for them to be late to dinner because they were waiting for me. "Sir?"

"I was quite impressed with your display last night." I didn't answer. "I understand that you only recently discovered this talent?"

"Yes sir. This summer."

"And you have trained yourself?"

"With Ginny's help. We worked together."

"Ah, yes. I have yet to meet Miss Weasley, but she seems to be a charming young lady."

I smiled. "She's wonderful."

"How long have you been dating?"

I frowned. This didn't seem like any of his business. "Since early this summer."

"Wonderful! I would like to get to know the two of you better. Perhaps you could join me for dinner soon?"

I stared at him in confusion. "We're quite busy, sir. It's Ginny's OWL year and we're still training ourselves regularly." I didn't want to come right out and say no, but I wasn't truly comfortable dining with a Professor, especially one that I didn't know very well, and I suspected his motives were quite mercenary. "If you'll excuse me, I'm meeting Ginny for dinner."

"Of course, my boy. Not wise to keep the ladies waiting!"

He smiled at me, but it didn't reach his eyes. And he looked distinctly upset at my refusal.

* * *

The next morning I walked into the Great Hall with Ginny and almost immediately came to a complete stop. Everyone was staring at us. I sighed. I had hoped this would blow over, but it seemed to have gotten worse since yesterday. With a shrug, we walked towards where Hermione sat already eating and reading her copy of the Daily Prophet. When she saw us, she hastily folded the paper and hid it away. Ginny eyed her as she tried to appear nonchalant.

"You had better just tell us now, Hermione. We're going to hear about it anyway."

With a sigh, Hermione retrieved the paper and handed it over. Ginny opened it carefully and we both gasped. Someone must have had a camera during the Welcome Feast, for there on the front cover was a picture of Ginny and I. Both of us were floating, and she was blocking my lightning with a wall of flames. It was quite the picture. Underneath, the headline proclaimed: _Chosen One and Girlfriend Harness the Power of the Elements_. I groaned.

_During the Hogwarts Welcome Feast two days ago, Headmaster Dumbledore announced that Harry Potter and his girlfriend, Ginevra Weasley, have become full elementalists. Britain has not had any elementalists since Merlin and his wife Elaine and we have to wonder at the timing of this. Does the Chosen One's new power indicate that he will once more be able to defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? We at the Prophet hope this is the case._

_Following the Headmaster's announcement, he warned the students against provoking the couple, as their powers can be quite difficult to control when angry. He then asked them to provide a short demonstration. Mr. Potter began by levitating himself and his girlfriend several feet off the ground; he then conjured a lightning bolt in his bare hand which he threw at Miss Weasley. She blocked his attack with a shield of pure fire, and then she conjured several fireballs and proceeded to direct them around the hall before bursting into flames. Lastly, Mr. Potter pulled her to him in an amazing feat of aerial acrobatics. It seems clear from these demonstrations that the Chosen One has control over the air and Ginevra over fire._

_We at the Prophet are looking forward to seeing what this amazing couple will do in the future, and will happily keep you informed of their exploits._

"Oh, bloody hell! Can't they ever leave me alone?"

"Harry! Language!" I glared at Hermione. I thought it was perfectly justified given the present circumstances.

Ginny had continued reading the paper and I turned towards her at her surprised gasp. She pushed the paper in front of me and pointed to a small article.

_Ministry Finds Evidence of Dementor Massacre, the One Responsible is Unknown_

_Yesterday, Ministry of Magic Aurors began investigating several Muggle towns that had suspicious incidents recently. While the Muggles had not known the cause of the problems, the Aurors believed them to be the work of Dementors, who just recently deserted Azkaban Prison. Aurors did in fact discover evidence that a large colony of Dementors had recently been in the area near each of these towns, however they were startled to discover that the Dementors seemed to have vanished. The only thing left behind was a large area of scorched ground and the remains of several black cloaks. _

_Furthermore, the victims that had been kept in a Muggle hospital all passed away several days ago. Witnesses said that they had briefly come out of their catatonic stupor, smiled faintly, and then peacefully died. Typically, a Dementor's victim will continue to live in catatonia for a normal life span. If, indeed, something destroyed the Dementors, it would appear that the victims were released to a peaceful death. Given the state they would have lived in otherwise, this can only be seen as a blessing._

_Several victims in St. Mungo's also passed away peacefully. _

_The Aurors were unable to determine what caused the death of the Dementors. Before this time, no one has been able to harm one, besides briefly driving it off with the help of a Patronus. Anyone with any information on these mysterious occurrences is asked to contact the Ministry of Magic as soon as possible._

I looked up at Ginny; she was grinning smugly. I returned her smile.

"What was that article about, Harry?" Hermione asked curiously.

I passed it over. "Someone was able to take out a significant number of Dementors."

Hermione gasped. "But… that's never been done before!"

"No, it hasn't." I glanced at Ginny, grinning. After all, it had been mostly her.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at the two of us, and then glanced down to the article again. She shrieked and looked up, her shocked eyes moving quickly between the two of us. "Did you…"

"Not here," I told her firmly. We didn't need anyone else to know about this.

"But, did you?"

Ginny merely grinned in response.

"Will someone explain to those of us who aren't geniuses what the three of you are going on about?"

I laughed. "Later, Ron."

He grumbled at this. "Just once, I'd like to not be the last one to know something."

* * *

It was two days after the article about us that Hedwig brought me a note during breakfast. _Please join me in my office this evening at 7. The three of us have things to discuss. P.S. I enjoy Twix._

I passed the note to Ginny, who read it before producing a small flame and lighting it on fire. She then turned to me with a questioning look. I merely shrugged. I didn't know what Dumbledore wanted. Ginny seemed to accept this, as she returned her attention to her breakfast.

Today was another typical day. People seemed to be getting used to me again, as they stared less, though I had noticed that most people wouldn't walk very close to me. Of course, this might have had something to do with the fact that I generally had a light breeze playing around me. I'm sure I could have prevented this, but I felt comforted having the wind around me, and it made it easier to use if I needed it. I was still waiting for the moment that someone started something and I had to defend myself. Luckily, I had yet to run into Malfoy in the corridors. I'm sure that wouldn't last much longer.

Dinner was a quite affair, both Ginny and I trying to determine what it was Dumbledore wanted to speak to us about. As we finished eating I looked down at my watch; it was only 6:30. Too early to go up to Dumbledore's office, but not enough time to get anything else done. With a grin, I took Ginny's hand and pulled her behind me. She must have guessed some of my intentions, because she giggled as I led her out the front door and onto the grounds. We had only taken a few steps onto the ground when I called the wind down to us. Nearly a hundred feet above the ground I turned to Ginny and offered my hand.

"Dance with me?"

"As I recall, you don't know how to dance, Potter."

I grinned at her. "No time like the present to learn. Besides, it shouldn't hurt as much if I step on your foot if we're in the air." In fact, I was quite thrilled by the prospect. I knew I wanted to be able to dance with Ginny, but the thought of causing her pain while I learned was not appealing. It wasn't until I thought of trying to learn in the air that I allowed myself to truly get excited about the idea.

She thought about this for half a second before nodding and placing her small hand in mine. I pulled her to me and wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her tight against my chest. I knew this wasn't the proper dance position, but didn't really care. Half the fun of dancing with her was in holding her close and feeling her body against mine. We danced and twirled and laughed, and I only stepped on her foot twice. By the time we stopped, Ginny was beaming with happiness, and my heart felt lighter every time I looked at her. Just seeing her happy made my world seem brighter.

With a reluctant sigh, I lowered us to the ground. "We should be going."

As our feet touched the ground, Ginny turned to me and wrapped her arms around my neck. "Just a minute more."

She didn't give me a chance to comment, as she pulled my head down to hers. Not that I was likely to complain. She kissed me until I was breathless, and then pranced away from me.

"Come on, Potter. We don't want to be late."

I laughed at her as I hurried to catch up. "Minx."

"But you love it."

"I love _you_." I wrapped my larger hand around hers and pulled her closer to me as we walked.

"Same difference."

"If you insist."

We climbed the stairs to Dumbledore's office and found the door open, waiting for us. Dumbledore was sitting in a large armchair in front of his fire, drinking a cup of tea.

"Please, do come in."

Ginny pushed me down in the chair across from him and curled up in my lap. I was getting more used to her doing this, so I only blushed slightly before looking up at Dumbledore.

"You wanted to see us, sir?"

"Yes, Harry. I take it you saw the article about the Dementors a few days ago?"

"Yes, sir."

"You two did an amazing thing that day. Severus has told me that the remaining Dementors are so frightened they have retreated into hiding. Voldemort is not pleased."

Ginny giggled. "That doesn't upset us at all."

"I didn't think it would. There is another matter in which I would like your help."

I sat up a bit straighter. "We can help with the war?"

"Yes. Indeed, I believe that the two of you were destined to do this task. I will, of course, help you as much as possible." He set his cup down and steepled his fingers together in front of him, peering at as over the top of them. "You know, of course, of the prophecy about the defeat of Voldemort. Because of this, I was confident that he did not truly die on that night nearly fifteen years ago. Thus I have spent many years searching for the way that he managed to evade death." He looked me directly in the eye. "Do you know what a Horcrux is, Harry?"

I shook my head. "I've never heard of them."

"I did not expect you to. A Horcrux is a truly horrible thing. It is when a wizard takes a portion of their soul and encases it in an outside object for protection. Then, if the wizard is killed, that protected portion of his soul will keep him from truly dying."

Ginny looked thoughtful. "That doesn't sound evil."

"No, though the soul is much stronger whole. The evil part is how it is done. The soul is not meant to be split, you see. To do so, a wizard must commit the ultimate evil act; he must kill an innocent. Murder splits the soul, allowing those who wish to do so to create such an object."

"So Voldemort has a Horcrux." My heart sank as I realised that we would have to track this object down before I had any hope of defeating him.

"No, Harry. Voldemort has seven."

I stared at him in horror. Voldemort had split his soul seven times? I couldn't imagine what kind of mangled thing would be left after such a horror.

"Professor?" Ginny sounded hesitant. "Why seven?"

"Surely you are aware, Miss Weasley, that seven is the most powerful magical number there is. Indeed, it plays an important part in explaining why you yourself are so powerful."

"Yes, sir, I know that. But if Voldemort made seven Horcruxes, then he would have split his soul into eight pieces, not seven."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled merrily. "Indeed, my dear. But you see, I believe Voldemort is unaware of this." Dumbledore's eyes turned to me. "I am certain that one of his Horcruxes was unintentional."

I was confused. "How can you do such a thing without realizing it?"

"Voldemort's soul has undergone such horrible transformations he would not miss a small portion, and the circumstances surrounding this incident are rather unusual. But perhaps it is better if I start at the beginning. From the evidence I have gathered, Tom Riddle created his second Horcrux here at school." Dumbledore's eyes filled with sadness and he looked solidly at Ginny. "It was then he killed a young Muggleborn girl using Salazar Slytherin's basilisk."

Ginny gasped in horror. "You mean… the diary… it was a Horcrux?"

"Yes, it was."

Ginny looked up at me, her eyes devastated and flaming tears running down her cheeks. I engulfed her in my arms as she cried into my shoulder. "He's gone, Ginny. We beat him then, and we'll do it again."

Dumbledore let her cry without interruption. When she finally pulled back and I wiped her cheeks clean he spoke softly to her. "Ginny, you should not feel any less about yourself because of this knowledge. Indeed, the fact that you were able to resist a piece of his very soul for so long is truly remarkable, and it has allowed you to understand Harry in a way that no one else ever will."

Ginny nodded jerkily, and I pressed my lips onto the top of her head. I refused to allow her to feel tainted in any way.

"I have traced Tom Riddle's movements as best as I can and I believe I know the objects he used for all but one of his Horcruxes. During the summer before his sixth year he murdered his father and paternal grandparents, and framed his mother's brother. At that time he stole a family heirloom from his uncle—a ring containing a large black stone. A few years after he left school, he stole two objects from an elderly woman. One was a locket that had belonged to Salazar Slytherin and the other was a cup that had been Helga Hufflepuff's. It is here that I mostly lost track of his movements, and hence am unable to determine the item containing the last Horcrux."

"But that is only five."

"Indeed. His last Horcrux was not created until recently. I believe that he used his snake, Nagini. It is this which allows him to control her so well, and to see out of her eyes as he did the night that Harry shared his vision."

I nodded. I remembered how that night Dumbledore had been so concerned that I was seeing out of the snake's eyes. "What is the last one?"

Dumbledore's eyes grew sad as he gazed at me. I didn't understand what he was trying to get at. But Ginny did.

"No!"

I looked down at her in shock. "What's wrong?"

"Don't you see? He thinks _you_ are a Horcrux."

I snapped my eyes up to Dumbledore's in horror. "Me? But, how?"

"That night that he failed to kill you, I think that he not only lost his body, but a portion of his soul as well. And it was attracted to the only other living being in the room—you."

"But… does that mean you have to kill me if we want to get rid of Voldemort?" My question was whispered. I knew we had to get rid of the Horcruxes to be able to kill Voldemort. What did that mean for me? Was I meant to sacrifice myself so that the world could be a better place? I looked down desperately at Ginny, who was once more crying fiery tears. How could I bear to leave her?

"No, Harry," Dumbledore said softly. "You will not die."

I stared up at him in desperation. "But we have to get it out of me."

"Yes, we do." He sighed tiredly. "I will admit that, until this summer, I was of the opinion that you would indeed have to die. I had hoped that the fact that your blood runs in Voldemort's veins would mean that you would be able to come back, but I was not sure. It was one of the reasons I was so reluctant to tell you about the prophecy." He looked up at us. "But now… now things are different. I believe there is a way to get rid of the Horcrux without causing you any harm. Indeed, it is the same method I hope to use to get rid of all the Horcruxes."

"How?" It was not me that asked, but Ginny. And her voice was desperate steel. She picked my hand up and held it in an iron grip in hers, as if she physically refused to let me go.

"We know that you are incapable of harming each other with your elements." Ginny nodded. I was still too stunned by his revelation to do more than stare at him. "There is a special kind of fire that is capable of destroying a Horcrux. If you can learn to control this, I believe you will be able to purge Harry."

"What do I need to do?"

"You must learn to control Fiendfyre, the uncontrollable fire. It is considered Dark Magic to conjure Fiendfyre, but that is because of its uncontainable nature."

Ginny stared at him defiantly. "I'll do it." She stood up abruptly and pulled me along with her. "We'll be in the library."

She marched me to the library and immediately started pulling books down that described Fiendfyre. While she was reading, I looked for more. She hadn't spoken a word since we left Dumbledore, and I left her alone. My mind was so messed up I could imagine hers was just as messy; I think it was most likely worse for her. To be honest, if I didn't have Ginny I would probably have been fairly willing to die. I knew what I would have thought: I would get to see Sirius again, and be with my parents; I would get to be truly happy for the first time in my life.

At least, that was what I would have thought until a couple of months ago. Now, I couldn't stand the thought of leaving Ginny. I knew I would be devastated if something happened to her and I was left behind. And I would do anything in my power to prevent that. So I would help her learn to control the uncontrollable.

There really were no other options that bore thinking of.

* * *

A/N: So I must admit that it totally never crossed my mind that the Minister might out their powers. So I added that bit at the beginning because with the portions I had already written it was really the only thing that worked.

I have had some questions about their use of the elements. People have complained that Harry shouldn't be able to use lightning, as that is more water than air. I'm taking his element to be wind, and he can control anything that typically happens in the wind and air. Hence lightning. As for Ginny's fire, she can control all fire, but some are much harder to control than others. Also, she has been subconsciously keeping it from burning her and Harry's clothes... in case you were wondering.


	6. Chapter 5: Purging Fire

Madame Pince kicked us out of the library at nine, and Ginny had me help her take all of the books up to the Room of Requirement. I was glad that it was a Friday night, as I was fairly certain we wouldn't be getting much sleep. Ginny was acting like a machine. I had tried to convince her to get some rest; in my mind, it wasn't like we were in too much of a hurry. The Horcrux had been in my head for nearly fifteen years; it could be there for a bit longer.

Ginny nearly ripped my head off when I said this. According to her, she would not allow Tom to be in my head any longer than physically necessary. She was determined to get him out. Eventually, I gave up trying to convince her and just settled for helping her. Every reference we had read said that Fiendfyre was recognizable by how quickly it grew and by its distinctive shape; it was said that the fire took the form of various monsters as it devoured everything in its path. We had found the incantation for it, as Ginny thought it would be easier to do if she had something guiding her magic. At least the first time. Ginny had then directed me towards the second room with all the books and told me to keep looking as she practiced. I went quietly. I had learned that there were just sometimes I shouldn't argue with her, for my own safety.

I sighed as I put down the last book. I couldn't find anything that we didn't already know. I stacked the books up in the corner, making a mental note to take them back tomorrow, and made my way towards the door separating me from Ginny. She was quiet now. That was probably a good thing. Earlier she had been screaming in frustration. Hoping for the best, I opened the door and stuck my head through.

Ginny was sitting in the middle of our rock clearing with her arms wrapped around her bent knees, and it sounded like she was sobbing. My heart broke. I walked quickly to her and sat down by her side.

"Ginny?"

She raised her head and the desperate look in her eyes caused me a fresh round of pain. "I can't do it, Harry. I've tried and tried, but I just can't do it."

I placed my hands on either side of her face, rubbing out the fiery tracks her tears had made. "I have lived with this my entire life, and, aside from occasional periods of pain and the odd vision, it has not affected me. You will get this, and when you do it will be soon enough to help me."

She looked into my eyes and spoke quietly. "How do you know it isn't affecting you? I didn't realise how much the diary was affecting me for months. And yet he was able to make me do horrible things."

I couldn't really argue with that. "Okay, but you need to stop killing yourself trying to make this work." I stood up and pulled her up with me. "What have you tried?"

"I've been trying to conjure it like I do my usual fire, but I don't get anything. I can get my fireballs to shape into animals, but it isn't the same. I've even tried to call regular fire and then somehow morph it into Fiendfyre, but it hasn't worked."

I thought about this carefully. "Remember how you weren't able to travel by fire, no matter how hard you tried, until I was able to take you with me and show you what it was like?" She nodded slightly. "I think you should try to conjure it using your wand, the normal way, until you learn what it is really like."

She considered this for several seconds before nodding and digging out her wand. "I don't know if we'll be resistant to this if I use my wand."

"I'll stand behind you. If I think something is happening I can get us both out of here quick enough."

She nodded. I stepped behind her and wrapped both of my arms around her waist, hoping to lend her my strength and support. She started by conjuring several normal fireballs using her wand and getting a feel for how they were different than those conjured using only her elemental power. She was still able to control them after their creation, and this gave her added confidence. Then she moved on to trying the Fiendfyre.

For nearly an hour, nothing happened. I could see her getting more and more frustrated and desperate. In a last effort to help her, I leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "I _know_ that you can do this. You were born to do this. Only you can destroy his Horcruxes, and I need you to do that so that I can finish him off. I can't do it without you." She drew in a shuttering breath. "Remember what he did to you? The year he stole from you? This is your way of fighting back. So fight back, Ginny. Beat the bastard."

I felt her body temperature rise slightly as I held her. And then, with a whispered spell, a stream of flames shot out of her wand. We watched in fascination as they grew quickly and morphed into terrifying forms, many of which I didn't even recognise. It didn't take long for me to grow concerned, however. The fire was devouring the entire room, and soon it would find us.

"You have to control it, Ginny."

She gritted her teeth and shot out both hands towards the fire. I could see her fighting with it, but it was largely resisting her strength. So I added my own. I called up the most powerful wind I knew and sent it against the angry flames.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the fire retreated. We backed it into a corner of the room and then Ginny fought with it until it started to die out. I watched in utter fascination as she literally glowed with the power she was using. With a great effort, she finally overcame it, and I caught her as she collapsed. She blinked up at me, beaming. "I did it."

"Yes, love, you did."

"I think I need a nap."

I smiled down at her as I picked her up and carried her into the other room. Our old bed was waiting for us, and Ginny was asleep before I even set her down. I curled around her protectively and let myself drift off to sleep.

* * *

I woke up to find my arms empty. I rubbed my eyes wearily before heading out in search of Ginny. I didn't have to look very hard. She was back in our rock meadow, once more trying to conjure Fiendfyre without the use of her wand. Only this time something was happening. As I watched, she was shooting small streams of fire out of her hands, and they very much resembled the crazy fire from last night. However, almost as soon as the fire left her hands it would die out. I walked up behind her and slid my hands around her waist. She jumped slightly and then relaxed back into my hold.

"You're doing much better."

She growled in frustration. "Yes. But it's still not working."

My hands rubbed up and down her smooth stomach. "It will." I leaned my head down and breathed in the scent of her hair. "I have complete faith in you."

She sighed and turned her head to the side so that she could see me. "I love you."

"And I you. And that is why I know we will succeed. Nothing will ever be impossible with you by my side."

She giggled. "Has anyone ever told you that you can be remarkably cheesy sometimes?"

I feigned hurt. "I am not!" By the look on her face, she didn't buy my act at all. With a sigh, I turned her around in my arms. "I've never really been able to just be myself before."

"What do you mean?"

"All of my life it felt like I was playing a role. When I was a kid, I had to hide anything about me that made me stand out, or face the consequences. Then I came here and discovered that everyone had preconceived notions of me, of who I was. The few times I tried to truly be myself, I discovered that I was disappointing someone. And so I mostly became the person they expected me to be." I looked down at her, running one hand along the side of her face and down her neck. "But with you… you accept me for who I am without question. I can be affectionate, or cheesy, or serious, and you are okay with that. You have no idea how amazing it feels to finally be able to be myself."

Her beautiful chocolate eyes got a look of fierce determination in them. "And that, right there, is why I want you to be free of Tom as soon as possible. You deserve to be yourself, and I won't let anyone get in the way of that."

There really was no other option for me except to kiss her. And really, I wasn't one to protest that too much. Kissing Ginny was a fabulous experience. I could never get close enough to her, and yet I would never stop trying. Rather reluctantly, I pulled back. With one last peck on the lips, I turned her around gently in my arms. "Try again."

She placed one hand over mine as it lay on her stomach and laced our fingers together. Then she brought the other up and held it pointed outwards. With a fierce look of determination, she shot fire out of her hands.

Only this time it didn't die, it took the shame of a large chimera and roamed around the room. I looked down at Ginny in shock and saw her deep in concentration. Her hand around mine clenched, and she whispered, "Help me!"

Instantly, my ever present breeze grew to nearly a gale force wind and was directed at the menacing fire creature. Once again, we backed it into a corner and slowly shrunk it down until nothing remained. Then I picked Ginny up in my arms and twirled her around happily. "You did it!"

She giggled, and leaned against me as I set her down. "I don't think I could have gotten it under control without you there." She raised her head slightly until she could meet my eyes. "Are you going to be able to help me when it is you I am burning?"

I shrugged. "We'll lock ourselves in the room. Once this thing is out of me I should be able to help."

She nodded, and then pushed away from me determinedly. "Let's do it now."

I looked her over carefully, wanting to make sure she wasn't too exhausted. She gifted me with a sharp look that let me know I didn't really have a choice in the matter. "Fine. But I want Dumbledore and Pomfrey nearby. Just in case."

"Agreed." She turned away from me and called, "Dobby!"

"Yes Harry Potter's Ginny?"

"Could you please inform the Headmaster that we need his help with something, and ask him to bring Madam Pomfrey with him?"

Dobby bowed. "Yes, Miss. Dobby will bes right back."

As soon as Dobby was gone Ginny launched herself at me. She clutched herself tightly against my chest, and I rubbed my hands up and down her back. "Don't you dare die on me, Potter, you hear?"

I chuckled. "I wouldn't dream of it."

She didn't let me go until the door opened and Dumbledore and Pomfrey walked in.

"Harry? Ginny? Were you able to learn what you needed?"

"Yes, sir. We think it will work." I glanced briefly at the nurse, not wanting to say too much in front of her. "We'll need to be alone to do this, but I would appreciate it if you were nearby in case of anything… unusual happening."

Pomfrey looked confused, but Dumbledore merely nodded. "Very well. We will be in the next room should you need us."

When the door shut behind them, I turned to Ginny. "You should probably try and aim for my scar."

She nodded. She held her hand out for mine, and I entwined our fingers together once more. I looked into her eyes, completely trusting in her. With another fierce look of determination, fire shot out of her other hand and raced straight for me.

It was a truly odd sensation. I had been surrounded by her fire before, and it had always been pleasant, but this seemed… angrier. And hotter. I could feel it all over me, searching for something, anything, to burn. I was vaguely aware that my clothes were going up in flames, and then the fire reached my head.

And I screamed.

* * *

Ginny Weasley watched the love of her life as he screamed in agony from the fire she set on him. It was the hardest thing she had ever done to keep it there. The last day had been surreal. She was glad that Dumbledore had trusted them with the knowledge of Tom's Horcruxes, and she was happy that he was going to allow her to help get rid of him, but all of this was forgotten with his revelation of the Horcrux inside Harry.

Ginny could still vividly recall the feeling of having a portion of Tom inside of her. And she would do anything, _anything_, to help Harry get rid of his demons the way he had gotten rid of hers. Even though that required her to set the love of her life on fire and watch as he screamed in agony.

She knew it must be working, because Harry had not at first reacted to the flames. He had an odd look on his face for awhile, but he had been fine. His clothes had not shared his fate, but Ginny would worry about that later. It seemed a little callous to ogle him when he was suffering, after all. It wasn't until the flames reached his head that something happened.

Harry's screams continued for what felt like a lifetime, and Ginny held the flames there, tears running down her face. And then, abruptly, the screaming stopped and Harry collapsed to the ground.

With a relieved cry, Ginny tried to pull the flames away from him. He seemed to be all right, and the fact that he was no longer screaming convinced her that whatever piece of Tom had been left in him was now gone.

Only the flames stubbornly refused to leave him.

Ginny fell to her knees by his side and pushed both hands at the flames, struggling with them. They refused to budge. She was panting with the effort and there was still no noticeable difference. Without Harry, she didn't have the ability to control it.

She looked up in just enough time to see his eyes snap open.

* * *

My eyes flew open abruptly and I stared up through the flames that were surrounding me. I knew them. Ginny. I smiled. I turned to see her, and gasped in shock. Why was she crying? I looked at her in confusion. Why was she so upset? I sat up slowly, wondering why I was on the floor, and then I looked down and blushed crimson. Why was I naked? I looked up at Ginny in shock, but she didn't seem to even notice. She had both hands out and was focusing intensely on the flames around me. Flames that were morphing into various dragon forms as I watched. My eyes widened in alarm as it all came rushing back. The Fiendfyre. The Horcrux. Ginny needing my help. I shot up to my feet and called the wind with everything I had.

I was slightly surprised by the outcome.

The wind came so quickly, I nearly jumped in astonishment. I watched as it beat the fire into submission rather quickly, then I was next to Ginny as she collapsed into my arms.

She blinked up at me. "Harry? Did it work?"

"Yes, love, it worked."

She grinned blearily. "That's good. Sorry about your clothes. But I must say, I don't mind the sight of you without them."

I blushed slightly. "And just why did I lose my clothes? Trying to tell me something?"

She giggled. "No. I think I've been subconsciously keeping the flames from burning our clothes before, only the Fiendfyre is too hard to control."

"If you insist." I grinned down at her before turning and calling, "Dobby!"

"Yes, Harry Potter, sir?"

"Could you get me a change of clothes from my trunk, please? We had a bit of an accident."

"Yes, sir. Dobby will be right back."

He popped out and I returned my attention to Ginny. Her eyes were fluttering as she struggled to stay awake. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. I'm just a little tired."

"I would imagine. You just destroyed a portion of Voldemort's soul."

She grinned sleepily. "I did, didn't I?"

I stroked her cheek gently. "My fiery warrior princess."

She blushed. With a pop, Dobby was back and handed me a change of clothes, then was gone. Figuring there was no point being embarrassed as I had been naked for the last several minutes anyway, I stood up unashamedly and pulled my clothes on. Then I walked over and opened the door to let in an anxious Dumbledore and Pomfrey.

Pomfrey was immediately on both of us with her wand. She clucked over Ginny and berated her for exhausting herself, then told her in no uncertain terms that she would be resting for the rest of the day. Then she turned towards me. She ran several spells and seemed to be confused.

"Is something wrong, Poppy?" Dumbledore asked with concern.

"No, just unusual." She ran another test. "I am fairly familiar with Mr. Potter's magic due to the large number of times he has been in my care, and something is different."

Dumbledore and I exchanged a glance. "Is anything wrong with it?" I asked warily.

"No. It is the strangest thing, but your magic is much stronger than I remember."

My eyes grew wide. Dumbledore evidently decided we needed to redirect her attention, because he stepped in immediately. "Perhaps this is a result of his new power. If nothing is wrong, I would like to speak to Harry and Ginny alone, please Poppy."

She nodded, still looking mildly confused, and bustled out of the door. Then Dumbledore turned towards us.

"Did it work?"

"I think so," I answered. "It was definitely Fiendfyre. At first it just encased me as Ginny's fire normally does, but when it reached my head it… well, I'm not exactly sure what it did but it hurt like you wouldn't believe."

"He started screaming as soon as it hit his head," Ginny spoke up. "This lasted for several minutes, and then he collapsed and passed out. I kept trying to get the fire off of him, but I couldn't control it without his help. Then he woke up, and seemed fine."

I nodded. "It took me a bit to remember what was going on, but then I was able to put the fire out. It was weird. Earlier, it had taken both of us working hard to put it out, but this time I was able to put it out by myself rather quickly."

Ginny looked up at me and got gingerly to her feet. I was by her side instantly, supporting her with an arm around her waist. "That's not the only unusual thing."

"It isn't?"

"No. Aside from Madam Pomfrey's comment about your magic, your scar looks different. It is much lighter. And haven't you noticed anything any time you touch me?"

I looked down at her in shock. "No."

"Watch."

She reached down and picked up my hand. The instant our skin touched I was shocked to see small sparks of electricity arching between us.

"Does it hurt?" I asked, concerned. It would devastate me if I hurt Ginny every time I touched her.

"No. It feels… well, remarkably good." She blushed as she said this, and I had a feeling that wasn't quite what she meant, only what she was comfortable acknowledging in front of the Headmaster.

I grinned. "Like your fire does to me."

"Precisely."

Dumbledore coughed gently, and I looked up at him, blushing. I had forgotten he was there. "It is highly likely that the presence of a portion of Voldemort's soul within you was harming your magic. With it now gone, you can truly reach your full potential." He looked thoughtful. "May I touch you, Harry?"

I shrugged and held out my hand. He reached out his own to touch mine. He got an inch away from me and then pulled back in shock with a startled gasp.

"Sir? Are you all right?"

"Yes, Harry. You just shocked me. I believe it is best if you explain to your friends that they should try to refrain from coming in close contact with you for the time being. Your skin seems to hold a mild electric charge."

My eyes grew wide. I looked down at Ginny to see her running her hand up my arm with a strange expression on her face. She looked fascinated. I smirked. Now she knew how I felt when her hair lit on fire.

"I think it is safe to assume that the Horcrux has been destroyed." I turned back towards the Headmaster. "With Harry's stronger abilities, I think it will be much easier for the two of you to destroy them in the future."

I nodded. "Do you know where any more are, sir?"

"Yes, Harry. This summer I believe I discovered the location of one. I had planned to go retrieve it myself until I learned of your new powers. If you two would be willing, I would like you to accompany me to find and destroy it. We should be able to destroy it there without having to navigate through all the precautions Voldemort undoubtedly set to protect it." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled heavily at me. "I admit that that prospect is most comforting."

"What do you mean, sir? Why won't we have to go through the protections?" Ginny looked at him curiously.

"It had been my original plan to retrieve the Horcrux and bring it back here to destroy. I admit that destroying them without your aid would have been exceedingly difficult. Now, however, as soon as we are sure it is there, your abilities should allow you to destroy it without ever even laying a hand on it."

Ginny and I nodded. We were ready.

After Dumbledore left, I led Ginny directly to our bed and informed her that she was not to get out for the rest of the day. She rolled her eyes at me, but didn't complain as long as I consented to join her. I agreed, and we fell asleep shortly thereafter. Ginny slept through until the next morning, and I spent most of the night sitting by her side, quietly reading and thinking.

I had thought that my need for Ginny would get less as we got used to this bond, but whatever it was that was pushing me to her wasn't letting up. What had been a fairly strong need for regular physical contact was morphing into a nearly uncontrollable desire to make sure that everyone knew that she was mine. I wanted to _claim_ her, and do so in such a way that there was no way anyone could ever come in between us. And this desire frightened me. I was scared and overwhelmed, and I didn't know how to bring it up with Ginny. She had already given up so much of her freedom and independence to be with me, would she be willing to give even more?

* * *

The last few days had been somewhat hilarious to me. Even though I had tried to spread the word about my apparently electrical skin, there were still a large number of times when someone bumped into me, or merely didn't believe me and touched me anyway. I found it interesting that the shock they received varied. My closest friends only got a mild shock; Hermione described it as a fairly strong charge of static electricity. It wasn't truly painful, just surprising. Dean Thomas, who had been acting extremely cold towards me all term, had ignored my warning and purposely hit my shoulder as he walked passed. I wasn't all that upset when he jumped back in pain and began furiously rubbing his shoulder, claiming it had gone numb. I didn't like the way he still looked at Ginny sometimes, and thought he deserved it.

But the best incident didn't happen until we were waiting outside the Potion's classroom on Monday afternoon. Slughorn appeared to be running late, and so most of the class was lounging around in the hallway. I was standing towards the side talking quietly to Ron and Hermione when I looked up and saw Malfoy strutting towards me with a simpering Pansy Parkinson at his side.

"Well if it isn't the Gryffindor Wonder Boy. Gather around, folks, maybe he'll show off again for us."

I didn't respond, only stared at him as I maintained rigid control on my breathing. I did _not_ want to rise to his baiting. We were in a crowded and confined corridor and my losing control would only result in someone getting hurt.

"What's a matter Potter? Can't think of anything intelligent to say?" He sneered at me.

"No. I merely don't feel like wasting my time on you."

I turned away from him. Ordinarily, this would have been an incredibly stupid move, but Ron's wand was out and I knew he would watch my back if Malfoy was thick enough to try anything. Malfoy must have noticed this, too, as he for once in his life didn't resort to magic. Instead, I stumbled as I felt him ram into my back. I had just managed to catch myself when I heard a high-pitched scream and turned around in shock. Malfoy was on the ground, and seemed to be uncontrollably shaking. I looked down at him in surprise.

"What is going on here?" I looked up to see Slughorn making his way towards us, his eyes darting between Malfoy on the ground and me. Malfoy had stopped shaking and was now panting.

Malfoy climbed awkwardly to his feet and stumbled as he tried to get his balance. Then he pointed accusingly at me. "He did something to me!"

"What did he do, Mr. Malfoy?"

"He sent some kind of magical shock wave through me!"

Ahh, it made sense to me now. Malfoy's reaction to contact with me must be considerably stronger than anyone else who had touched me in the last few days. I shrugged. "He was warned," I told Slughorn.

Slughorn's eyes widened and then he nodded at me. "He is correct, Mr. Malfoy. You were warned not to antagonise him. It is your own fault for not heeding this warning. Do you need to visit the Hospital Wing?"

Malfoy started to shake his head, winced, and then nodded. I watched him walk away with awkward movements, and he seemed to be unable to move his left arm. Interesting.

Ron spent all of Potion's class snickering over Malfoy. I spent it trying to ignore the scathing looks thrown my way by most of the Slytherin's. At least maybe now they would leave me alone. When class was over, Slughorn called me up to his desk.

"Would you tell me what happened earlier, Harry?"

"Malfoy was trying to antagonise me as usual, so I turned away, determined not to react to him. He resorted to physically attacking me, and discovered that I have developed a slight electrical current across my skin. It tends to react stronger the more I dislike someone."

Slughorn stared hard at me. "Very well, I will be speaking to him to remind him of the need to stay away from you, as well as making Professor Snape aware of the situation."

"Thank you, sir. I appreciate it."

I made my solitary way to dinner, eagerly anticipating Ginny's reaction when I told her the story. Most of the school was already seated when I entered the hall, and I was passing the Slytherin table when I heard a shouted spell. I whipped around and received a mild cutting curse across my chest. I gritted my teeth from the pain, and closed my eyes briefly to maintain tight control on the wind that seemed to be trying to burst out of me, then looked up to see Malfoy with his wand pointed right at me and a gleeful look on his face.

"Do you really want to start something with me again, Malfoy?"

He smirked. "We're in the middle of a crowded room. You can't use your freaky powers against me here."

I sighed. He really was asking for it. I glanced down to see that there was a large gash across the right side of my chest that was releasing a fair amount of blood. My anger starting to get to me, I raised my head and met his eyes.

"I'll be delighted to show you the error of that belief."

"Whatever. So you float me around a bit. It's your tart that has the real fire power. At least that makes her good for something besides being flat on her back."

I growled in anger. He did not just say that about Ginny. I barely noticed that I was now floating. I heard several girls scream and looked down to realise that I seemed to be sparking electricity. I shrugged. It wasn't all that surprising after the events of this last weekend. My hand shot out towards Malfoy and he was pulled into the air with me. He was right about one thing; I wouldn't risk the other occupants of the Great Hall. But that didn't mean I would let him get away with it.

Malfoy's expression was hilarious; he looked terrified as his feet left the ground. He brought his wand up and levelled it at me again. But this time I was ready. He shot a spell at me, and I casually flicked a finger and blew it away; it impacted against the wall. His eyes shot wide in surprise.

A wall of fire erupted in front of me, but I didn't move my eyes away from Malfoy. I smirked as the fire absorbed his next spell. I brought my hand up again, and a lightning bolt materialised there. Malfoy began shaking like a leaf.

"Harry!" Shocked to hear Dumbledore sounding so worried, I looked down. He was staring at me intently. "You don't want to do this."

"Oh, I really do. I've had enough of him."

"This will not solve anything, Harry."

"I not sure about that." I was getting reckless. My mind was going through all the times that Malfoy had cursed me, all the things he had said about me and my friends. "I'm sure a lightning bolt will stop his heart. Then he won't be able to bug me anymore."

Dumbledore looked alarmed, and Malfoy whimpered pathetically.

"Harry."

That voice caused my eyes to shoot over to Ginny. She was walking towards me, her expression fierce and yet at the same time radiating love. Her hair was aflame. She looked me straight in the eyes, and she didn't have to tell me what she was thinking. There were better targets for my anger; if I took it out on Malfoy it would only cause problems. My eyes narrowed. I recognised the wisdom in this, but my anger was still burning hot. I wanted him to pay. I looked down at the bolt in my hand and turned back towards Malfoy. Ginny must have realised that I wasn't calming down, because her hand shot up and a stream of fire leapt towards me. More girls screamed. The fire reached me and wrapped around my body, and I sighed into it. It felt like Ginny, and it calmed me against my will. She was close now and looking up at me with a demanding look in her eyes. With a sigh, I crushed the bolt in my fist and it disappeared, then I pulled her up with me and she wrapped me up in her arms.

"Let Dumbledore deal with him, love. We'll find a more deserving target for that anger of yours."

I nodded. She was right. She usually was.

"All right, love."

I looked up and lowered Malfoy down to the ground. Snape was glaring at him, and I was shocked that the anger wasn't directed at me for once. I barely got him on the ground and Snape was already yelling at him. I lowered Ginny and I to the ground and stepped back from her, only to stumble. My head was feeling weird and I looked down confusedly to see that I had lost a lot more blood than I thought. Ginny looked down at the same time I did and gasped in shock.

She launched herself at me and wrapped her arms tightly around me. The last thing I knew was startled shrieks erupting throughout the hall as we were engulfed in flames and disappeared.

* * *

I blinked my eyes open and groaned. The Hospital Wing. Again. I swear it is physically impossible for me to stay out of here for more than a couple of weeks. I tried to sit up and quickly gave up on that idea. My chest seemed to refuse to move; indeed, I seemed to have lost all sensation in that area of my body. Groaning, I turned my head and saw a redheaded blur sitting in the seat next to me. I reached out and felt around the bedside table until I was able to find my glasses, then slid them on to my face. Ginny was sitting in the chair beside my bed, slumped over asleep. I smiled at her, somehow oddly pleased to find her beside me. It had been a long time since someone had cared so much about me. She slowly blinked her brown eyes open and jolted upright when she saw me looking at her.

"Harry! You're awake!"

I laughed at her as she jumped out of her seat and wrapped her arms tightly around my still immobile chest. I brought my arms around her and held her close.

"I feel fine, love."

She raised her head and glared at me. "That's only because your chest is magically paralyzed. You had a fair bit of damage. Madam Pomfrey was furious that you hadn't come straight here after getting hurt; she said it was close to causing permanent damage."

I shrugged sheepishly. "I didn't realise I was hurt that bad."

She pulled back and huffed angrily, her arms crossed across her chest. "Pomfrey said you weren't able to feel the pain because of the adrenaline rush of the fight." Her eyes narrowed dangerously as I shrugged. "You shouldn't have been fighting in the first place."

I glared at her. "Did you hear what he said about you?"

"Yes, I did."

"And you just expected me to let him get away with it?"

"I expected you to know better than to start something like that, especially in a room full of spectators that could get hurt in the fight."

"I had enough control to keep anyone else from getting hurt."

"And what were you going to do to Malfoy? Were you going to kill him, Harry?"

I turned away from her. "He would have deserved it," I grumbled.

"Really? He deserves to die for saying something you didn't like? That's an interesting deduction. Does that mean you and I deserve to die for saying something that Voldemort doesn't like?"

I whipped my head around and stared at her. "That's totally different!"

"How? Explain to me how you get to decide who lives or dies."

"But… he's a Malfoy! They're all evil!"

"So he deserves to die simply because of who his parents are? That sounds like something Voldemort would say, not you."

I gaped at her. Was she really comparing me to Voldemort? I was nothing like him! He killed people just because he didn't like them, just because they stood up to him… Oh. I could see what she meant. I shuddered with this realization. I had wanted to kill Malfoy, and I was just like Voldemort. Unable to look Ginny in the eye anymore, I stared down at my bedspread.

"Harry?" Her voice sounded tentative.

"He doesn't deserve to die."

"No, he doesn't." Her hand found mine and squeezed it. "I don't think you really would have killed him, Harry. You are too good."

"I'm not good. I wanted to kill him. And I've been training to do just that."

She laughed at me. I really didn't think this was a laughing matter. "You haven't been training to kill Malfoy, Harry. You've been training to kill Death Eaters. There's a difference."

I raised my eyes and met hers. "What difference? Why is it okay for us to fight the Death Eaters but not Malfoy? He's evil, and he's going to be just like his father."

"Probably. However, we cannot punish people before they actually commit the crime."

"But how do we know what is enough to warrant our action?"

"Has Malfoy ever killed anyone, or tortured someone or anything like that?"

"Not yet."

"Then he doesn't deserve to die. Let the teachers deal with him. If he ever does join the Death Eaters, there will be plenty of time to fight him then." I nodded at her, accepting this. "Besides, Snape took care of Malfoy."

"Snape?"

"Yes. He was furious. Said that Malfoy deliberately provoked you when he had been warned not to. That he knew very well what would happen to him and he did it anyway. He took fifty points off and gave him two weeks of detention. And he said if he ever so much as spoke to you or looked in your direction again he would be facing suspension."

My mouth dropped open in shock. Snape actually disciplining Malfoy? It felt like the world was coming to an end.

"How did you even know this? I could have sworn we flame travelled just before I passed out."

"Oh, we did. Hermione told me when she and Ron stopped by earlier. She said she had never seen Snape so livid before. Dumbledore and McGonagall were yelling at Malfoy, too. Then Dumbledore made an announcement at lunch. He said that anyone who purposely antagonised either one of us would have thirty points deducted and receive a week of detention, no matter the circumstances."

I grinned. "I hope they listened this time."

"Oh, I'm sure they did. You put on quite a show, you know."

I looked at her in confusion. "All I did was float and deflect a spell."

Her eyes lit up merrily. "You weren't aware that you were sparking electricity?"

"Well, sure. But it's not like it did spectacular."

"It was still fairly impressive." Her smile changed into an expression I couldn't read. "You looked… let's just say that I liked the way you looked."

I grinned at her. "You did, did you?"

"Yes."

"I'm glad."

She giggled. "Just stop collecting so many scars. You have enough as it is."

I groaned. "I have a new scar?"

She nodded and reached down to unbutton my shirt. I looked down and saw a large pink scar crossing the majority of my chest. Ginny ran her fingers lightly down it and seemed engrossed with examining my chest. And while I had filled out quite a bit due to our hard work in the Room of Requirement, I still had a problem with this.

"The next time you have your hands on my chest, can we make sure that I can actually feel it?"

* * *

It was amazing to me how much nicer life was with Malfoy out of the picture. He was still there, but he was very careful not to come anywhere near me. And he hadn't directed a comment at me since our fight. I guess he finally learned his lesson. In addition to Malfoy, most of the rest of the castle was leaving me alone as well. I guess they realised that it really wasn't in their best interests to antagonise me. Even Dean had stopped sending me vicious looks. Of course, he was still staring at Ginny too much for my comfort, but at least he was staying away from her. Before I knew it, it was the second Saturday of term and Katie was holding Quidditch trials. Ginny, Ron, and I walked out to the pitch, happily chatting away. When we got there I noticed that there were about twenty people hanging around, clutching brooms nervously. Ginny was the only one trying out that didn't seem nervous, but that was probably because she was fairly confident in her place on the team.

Katie held Beater tryouts first, so that we would have someone picked in time to help with the Chasers. Sloper and Kirke, the replacement Beaters from last year, had elected not to play this year, so we needed to find two new players. Ron, Ginny, and I were disappointed in the possibilities that showed up, but in the end Katie settled on Ritchie Coote and Jimmy Peakes. Ron was grumbling about this, but really there weren't any better choices. Hopefully we would be able to train them up better.

By the time Katie chose them, it was nearing lunch time, and Ron was starting to moan about being hungry. I grinned as Ginny rolled her eyes at him. He was so predictable sometimes. Katie called for the Chaser hopefuls, and I leaned over to give Ginny a kiss on the cheek.

"Good luck, Ginny."

She grinned at me. "You gonna help me out any?" She waggled her eyebrows at me as she mounted her broom.

"Depends. What are you going to give me if I do?"

She winked. "You'll just have to wait and see."

I laughed as she took off. Ron shook his head at me in disgust and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "whipped" before taking off to man the goal hoops. I watched as the Chasers flew around the pitch, having to constantly remind myself to keep my eyes off of Ginny and watch the other players. Katie wanted my opinion on the others, but none of them looked as good as Ginny did. Her hair was streaming behind her and catching the light in ways that fascinated me. I growled to myself. I was doing it again. I trained my eyes on some of the other girls trying out. What was it about chasing that made girls so much better than boys? The only boys that were trying out that were even worth mentioning were Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas, and I sincerely hoped Dean wasn't going to make the team. I examined some of the other flyers and was excited to see that Ginny was by far the best player. She and Katie were working together well. There was a third girl who seemed to be trying to run some plays with them. She was small, and clearly not as practiced a flyer, but I thought she had a lot of potential.

Ginny must have recognised the girl's potential as well, because she started passing back and forth to her and set her up nicely for a beautiful goal that had Ron staring after them in confusion. After a few more minutes, Katie called all the players back to the ground. After a few minutes of whispered conversation with Ron and me, she made her announcement.

"All right, everyone, thanks for coming out today. Our new Chasers are going to be Ginny Weasley and Demelza Robins. Everyone else, thank you for coming out, and we hope to see you next year." She waited while most of the people made their way off the field, then she turned to the team. "We'll start having practice Tuesdays and Thursdays. I'll see you all next week."

Ginny was standing a good twenty feet away from me, talking to Katie. Her hair was windblown and messy; her face was shining with excitement and she was gesticulating wildly with her free hand. I grinned at her, and let out a concentrated gust of wind. She squeaked in surprise as she shot through the air directly towards me. Her head whipped around, and she grinned when she saw me, and opened her arms to wrap them around my neck as she reached me. I spun her around in my arms before kissing her.

"Congratulations, Ginny. You were fantastic today."

She smiled happily and kissed my cheek. "Thank you, love."

"Are you two going to be at that all day?" Ron grumbled behind me.

I turned to smirk at him. "Maybe. You got a problem with that?"

"Yep, I think I do."

She giggled as I set her down on her feet and took her hand in mine. I sighed sadly. "If you insist." Then I grinned at him. "Serves you right for having such a beautiful sister, mate."

Ron shook his head in disgust. "Quit being revolting, you two. Let's get lunch."

I laughed as we followed him back to the castle. Life was good. We sat down across from Hermione at the table and I started pulling food closer for Ginny and me.

"How were tryouts?" Hermione asked as she set her book down.

"Wonderful!" Ginny exclaimed. "I made Chaser!"

I shook my head. "Of course you did. You were the best flyer out there today."

"Congratulations, Ginny." Hermione pulled out a sheaf of papers from her bag. "Now that tryouts are done I've prepared you a study schedule. You need to get started on preparing for your OWLs."

I stared at her as she continued to outline her plan for Ginny. It sounded like Ginny wasn't going to have any free time available. And really, that just wasn't acceptable to me. I glanced over at Ginny to see her looking at Hermione with a glazed expression. It was becoming obvious to me that I needed to intervene before Hermione got carried away with her enthusiasm. Just as I was opening my mouth, I looked up to see Hedwig winging her way towards me with a note clutched in her talons. She landed in front of me and presented the note, and I scratched her head as I unrolled it.

_Please join me after lunch. We will see to the first of those tasks I discussed with you._

My eyes opened in surprise. Dumbledore was taking us to destroy another Horcrux.

I shut my eyes and took a deep breath as I felt the air start to stir around me. I felt Ginny's warm hand on my arm and opened my eyes to look down at her. She was looking up at me with concern in her eyes. Without saying anything, I handed the note to her. She read it quickly and drew in a sharp breath. Her hand flamed and the note turned to ash as we watched, then her eyes met mine. I cupped my hand around her face and her eyes slid closed. Energy sparked out of my hand; I smiled gently as her hair flamed in response.

"Is everything okay, you two?" Hermione's concerned voice broke into our little bubble.

I looked up at her. "Nothing to worry about. We just have something to take care of this afternoon."

"What's up, mate?" Ron asked, in between mouthfuls of food.

"Just something about our elemental training."

Ron shrugged and let it go, but Hermione was eying the two of us curiously. Thankfully, she dropped it and returned to her meal. I picked at my food for the rest of lunch, nervous about what we were going to do. There were so many places where this could go wrong, and I didn't like risking Ginny like this. But I knew she would have my head if I told her that, so I was just going to have to suck it up.

When lunch was over Ginny and I hurried up stairs and donned our dragon hide armour, and then made our way quickly towards Dumbledore's office. He was waiting for us, his travelling cloak on as he paced in his office.

"Good afternoon, Ginny and Harry."

"Sir." I greeted him.

"We will be departing from Hogsmeade. You should be able to make your own way there, correct?"

"As long as we know where to go."

"Excellent. We are going to a small village called Little Hangleton; it is very near to the graveyard that Voldemort was resurrected in over a year ago."

I paled at the reference, but nodded. "I can get there."

"Very well. If you would walk with me to the village, I would be grateful for your company."

We followed him down the stairwell silently and out of the castle. It wasn't until we were well away from the door that he began speaking.

"The place we are going today is the ancestral home of Tom Riddle's family. His mother, Merope Gaunt, was raised there and it was there she fell in love with the Muggle, Tom Riddle Senior. He did not return this love, so she enchanted him, most probably with a love potion. When he discovered this, he left her alone and pregnant. Merope lived long enough to get to London where she delivered her baby at an orphanage and died shortly after naming him." Dumbledore paused, and I could make out a hint of sadness in his usually sparkling eyes. "Tom visited his mother's home in the summer of his sixteenth year, and there he killed his father and paternal grandparents, framing his uncle for their murders."

Ginny gasped at my side. "At _sixteen_?"

"Indeed, Ginny. I believe he used their deaths to make his first Horcrux. He generally reserves the making of a Horcrux for important deaths. He killed his father out of revenge and disgust, and in a desire to cleanse himself from all Muggle ties, and this meant a great deal to him."

"And you believe his first Horcrux is still there?" I asked.

"Yes. There is strong evidence of one in his mother's ancestral home. It is most likely that he used a family heirloom, something that he had stolen from his uncle: a ring that had been passed down in the Gaunt family for centuries."

"You mentioned that there would be protections around the ring. What should we be expecting?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, there will be protections. I do not know what he will have chosen to use. However, we have a large advantage due to your powers. All we need do is find the ring, without actually touching it. His strongest protections will probably be against physical removal of the ring; as we will not be attempting this I hope to bypass most of the unpleasantness."

"How will we know for sure it is a Horcrux?" I asked quietly. "I mean, we need to know if we got the right object, correct?"

"Yes, Harry. However, there is a spell that will identify such an object. We will find where it is hidden, and then I will ask you to use your wind to levitate the ring. Once I cast the spell, it will be time for Ginny to destroy it."

I nodded and considered this as we continued walking. We were almost to the gates of the school, and Ginny's hand was gripping mine tightly as we walked. I turned to her and smiled, reassuring her. I knew she was nervous about using the Fiendfyre again, but I had no fears. This time, she would have me to help her from the start.

We cleared the gates and Dumbledore came to a stop. "I will go first. Try and follow me, please."

I nodded. With a twist, he was gone, and I turned to Ginny and wrapped my arms tightly around her. I placed a kiss on the top of her head, breathing the scent of her hair, before calling upon the wind and closing my eyes.

"I am truly envious of that skill," I heard Dumbledore comment. "I wish you could take me with you."

I released Ginny and smiled wryly at him. "It does come in handy."

He smiled briefly before his face became serious once more. He waved us towards a dark path in the forest in front of us. "If you would follow me."

The path was dark and foreboding and Ginny gripped my hand tightly in hers. I was tense and nervous, expecting an attack around every corner. My wand was gripped firmly in my free hand and there was already a mild wind circling around us, just waiting for a command. Eventually, we came upon a decrepit old shack that had a snake skin tacked onto the door. Unconsciously, the wind grew around me. Dumbledore held up a hand for us to stop and turned towards the shack. For several minutes, he waved his wand through the air in intricate patterns. Occasionally, a different coloured dome would appear around the shack, and I guessed that he must be taking down various wards. It was several minutes later when he beckoned us forward and we hesitantly approached the door.

"Touch nothing. There may be curses everywhere."

"Sir?" I asked. "Perhaps I should levitate us? Just a couple of inches so we don't have to even touch the floor."

Dumbledore turned and beamed at me. "An excellent suggestion, my boy."

With barely a thought, the three of us were being supported by the wind. With a wave of Dumbledore's wand, the door opened slowly, and then we walked in on the wind.

I had never been inside such a dirty place before. It was covered in several inches of dust, and yet underneath that it looked as if no one had taken care of the building in over a century. I couldn't imagine living here, and I grew up in a cupboard. Once inside, the Headmaster was once more casting spells. He seemed to be led towards a particular section of the floor; it flashed in various colours as he worked, and he frowned after several minutes before turning to us.

"I'm sure it is under there, but it is resisting all of my efforts to remove the floor board. It seems to want to be physically removed."

With narrowed eyes, I examined the board he was talking about. "Ginny? Do you think you can burn the boards around it? If it is no longer connected to them I should be able to remove it."

She nodded and raised her free hand. I small stream of fire shot out, and approached the area. It was repelled by a shield from the board we were interested in, but the ones near it were not similarly protected. They quickly burned to ash, and two small gusts of wind kept the fire from spreading and caught the now free board. I was able to lift up the board, and we all peered in to get a better look.

Lying on a bed of silk was a golden box. With a focused burst of wind, its latch was released and the lid opened to reveal the large golden ring with a black stone set in it. Dumbledore cast a series of spells on it, and nodded at the results.

"It is indeed a Horcrux. In addition, it has several curses placed on it. It is fortunate that we are going to bypass them completely." He turned to Ginny. "I would like you to destroy it, my dear."

She nodded with determination. "Perhaps you'd better wait outside, Headmaster."

"Certainly."

He moved on the air out of the room, and when he was out of sight I turned to Ginny. "You concentrate on calling the fire; I'll worry about controlling it. We'll need to hold it long enough to make sure the Horcrux is really destroyed."

With determination blazing in her eyes, she moved in front of me. I wrapped both arms around her waist, lending her the strength she needed. Once again, her fingers laced with mine as her other hand shot out in front of her. The flames that escaped contained a range of large dragons and even several fiery snakes that I remember reading about from South American legends. Her fire enveloped the gold box and the ring inside, and I held the wind tightly around it, keeping it in place. The box melted almost immediately, but the ring held on. For nearly a minute she held it there, her teeth grinding in concentration, and then something started to happen. There was an unearthly scream that came from the ring, and we watched as the stone cracked open suddenly and released a strange green substance. Then, as we watched, the ring itself began to melt. When all that was left was the black stone in the centre, which strangely appeared relatively unharmed, Ginny began to fight the fire down.

It took several tense minutes, as most of my strength was focused on keeping the fire from spreading and burning the building down instead of suppressing it, but we won out and the flames subsided. With a sigh of exhaustion, Ginny collapsed back against me, utterly spent. I bent down and pulled her into my arms, cradling her against my chest, and called the Headmaster back in.

Dumbledore entered the room gingerly, his feet much closer to the floor as I was growing tired. He looked around carefully, and then gazed at Ginny in my arms, before he spoke. "Is it gone?"

"I think so. It screamed, and then released some green substance before the ring dissolved."

He nodded, and then turned his wand back to the gaping hole in the floor. Once more, he cast a serious of spells, this time without any interference to them. He turned to me and smiled. "You did well, my boy, it is gone." He glanced at Ginny asleep in my arms. "Let's go home."

I nodded wearily, and pushed us out the door. Once clear, he turned to me once more. "Please give my thanks to Ginny when she wakes up."

"Yes, sir. We'll be in our room for awhile."

"She will be alright?"

"Yes." I glanced down at the sleeping goddess in my arms. "She'll be perfect."

I didn't even wait for him to leave first, desperate to get us both back to the safety of our room. I placed her gently on the bed and pulled both of our shoes off before climbing in with her and enfolding her in my arms. I buried my nose in her hair and breathed in her scent, allowing it to loll me into blessed sleep.

* * *

A/N: I hope this satisfies those of you who were anxious for Malfoy to get his. Really, most of Harry's powers are lethal, so I thought this was a good compromise.

This chapter starts to explore more the relationship between Harry and Ginny. If you read closely, you might figure out what Ginny's 'need' is that complements Harry's need for physical contact.

As for those of you who have been giving me ideas about what they can do with their powers, thank you! I am keeping these in mind for future reference.

Please let me know what you think and enjoy!


	7. Chapter 6: Affairs of the Heart

I woke up when the sun came in through our curtains that I had forgotten to close yesterday. My arms were still wrapped around Ginny's smaller frame, and I couldn't bring myself to move for fear of waking her. I knew she had to be exhausted from yesterday. So instead I took the time to simply look at her. Ginny was remarkably beautiful, I had always known this, but there was something else about her now that drew me to her. It was like I was now a planet orbiting around her; my entire existence was built around her, and there was nothing I wouldn't do for her. Everything that I used to think was important in my life had taken a backseat to the girl in my arms. School was torture most days because it meant I couldn't be with her for extended periods of time. Quidditch was enjoyed mostly because she was there. I chose to fight so that the world would be safer for her. I trained so that I could protect her. Even my time with my friends was different. I used to spend so much time with Ron and Hermione alone, and now I only chose to do so when Ginny was busy or felt like spending time with her own year mates. I felt like a completely different person, and yet I liked it. So much. My need for Ginny only seemed to grow, and it was getting to the point where I was having trouble containing myself around other people. So few knew about our bond, and I wanted to keep it that way, but it meant that I had to be fairly restrained in public. It was beginning to wear on me. Okay, if I'm being honest, we were long since passed the beginning point and moving speedily into the _I'm going bloody insane_ stage of things. If I'm being honest. I wanted to claim her, and proclaim my claim to the entire world. She was my reason for being and I wanted to openly acknowledge this instead of trying to hide it like it was somehow shameful.

A ray of sunlight came through the window and fell onto her glorious face, causing her hair to light up in a vast array of colours. My breath caught at the sight, and I had to touch her. As gently as I could I brought my hand up and cupped her cheek.

Ginny sighed as my hand made contact, and turned her face into my hand. "Harry," she breathed against my palm as she planted a small kiss there. I sucked in a sharp breath at her gesture. Her large brown eyes blinked open and she smiled when she saw me above her.

"Do you have any concept of how much I love you," I asked her softly. The feelings inside of me were practically suffocating in their intensity.

Her small hand came up and buried itself in my unruly hair, pulling me down until mere inches separated our face. "I think I have some idea."

I ran my nose up along her cheek, taking her scent in. "I don't think you can. It is impossible for me to express, as there simply aren't words, so how could you possibly understand?"

"I don't need words, I _know_."

"Do you? Do you know what it is like for me every time you walk away from me? Do you have any concept of the difference in my life now that you are its centre? Can you possibly imagine even a fraction of what I feel every time we touch? Can you even begin to understand how hard it is to keep my distance in public, to not tell everyone that you are _mine_, and always will be?"

Her beautiful brown eyes filled with fire, and a small trail of fire ran from her eye down one side of her face. I wiped it away with my thumb, and even that small contact with her fire sent a feeling of euphoria racing up my arm.

"You are my fire goddess, Ginevra, and I thank every power there is in the universe daily for giving you to me." I was having trouble getting the words out; my need to touch her and consume her was overwhelming.

Ginny exploded up and pushed me on my back, and we dropped several feet in my shock. I hadn't even realised we had been floating in the first place, though I wasn't surprised to find we were. It was a common occurrence these days.

"I _do _know, Harry. And I love you just as much." She placed her palm flat on my chest, and I watched in fascination as my shirt burned right off my chest. "And I intend to show you just how much."

Ginny's hands were exploring my chest, leaving a trail of fire in their wake, and I was struggling to breathe as I fought to control my need for her as the wind whipped around us. Our things were going to be a beast to clean up, but I really couldn't care right now. My hands flew to her and I tried to pull her down to me but she resisted. I growled at this. "I _need _to feel you, Ginny. _Please_."

Her eyes blazed down at me beneath her. Then, I watched in fascination as her shirt crumbled to ash around her. "Touch me all you want."

With a growl we were twisting in midair, and one of my hands was holding both of hers above her head as I brought my mouth down to her glorious skin and set the other to exploring. She was _mine_.

Many people claimed to want to make love in the clouds. I was glad we did, as our bed would have been reduced to ash otherwise by the time we were done.

* * *

There was a knock on our door several times that day, but I ignored it. Nothing outside of this room mattered to me today. When Ginny got hungry I had the wind take me directly to the kitchen to get something for her; I didn't want to deal with anyone I might meet along the way. Towards dinner time I heard Hermione banging on our door, and I growled at the door before casting the strongest silencing charm I knew. I was not interested in being interrupted.

Ginny laughed at me when I did this, then pulled me back down to her and attacked me again.

It was dark outside once more when I collapsed from sheer exhaustion. Ginny laughed and planted a kiss directly over my heart before snuggling into my side.

"I love you, Potter," she whispered.

I grinned. "Clearly as much as I love you, Potter."

Her head popped up and she peered at me. "I'm not a Potter yet."

"Can we fix that as soon as possible? _Please_!"

She lifted one eyebrow in surprise. "Is that your idea of a proposal? Because it could use some work."

I smirked. "I think it was a great proposal. We spent the day making love and then I asked you to never leave me again."

She smiled gently at me. "I'll never leave you whether or not I have a ring on my finger, love."

My eyes popped wide. "Oh! Your ring!"

I extracted myself out from under her and, after making sure the wind would continue to hold her up, I disappeared. I knew exactly what I was looking for, so I was only gone for a minute, but when I got back Ginny was shrieking at me.

"Harry Potter! You did not just go somewhere naked to get me a ring!"

I shrugged. "Sure. It's not like anyone saw me."

"Harry! Where did you go?"

"To my vault." I pulled her to me and kissed along her collarbone for several minutes before shaking myself and returning to my task. Then I brought my hand up and offered it to her. "Your ring, my lady."

Ginny's mouth dropped open in shock as she stared at the ring in my hand. I had found it in my vault several years ago and left it there, unsure what to do with it. I was fairly certain it was my mother's, as it was a golden eternity band with alternating rubies and emeralds. Atop this band sat a medium sized diamond that fit Ginny's dainty hands perfectly. It sparkled in the firelight that was still dancing across Ginny's skin and threw small rainbows. Taking her left hand carefully in mine, I slid the ring on and beamed when it fit perfectly. I looked back up at her, surprised to have to blink to keep my tears in my eyes.

"I'm serious, Ginny. I love you more than I can even comprehend, and I cannot bear the thought of a life without you, and I desperately need to let the world know this. So even though I know we are young, I need to know that you are mine forever. Please marry me, Ginevra Molly Weasley."

The room around us lit with flames, but they merely danced on the surfaces and burned nothing.

"I have been yours since the moment I first saw you, Harry Potter, and I will remain so for the rest of our lives."

I beamed at her, bringing her hand up and placing a kiss on the ring there, then I crushed her in my arms and ravaged her mouth.

* * *

It took Hermione another full day to break through my silencing charms, so it was Monday night some time when I heard her screaming through the door.

"Harry James Potter! You open this door this instant! I cannot believe you kept Ginny out of school for an entire day! You should be ashamed of yourself! Professor McGonagall has come looking for you three times already, and Dumbledore was even up here a couple of hours ago. I don't know what you did to this door to keep everyone out, but you had better get out here or I'm flooing Mrs. Weasley!"

That caused me to take notice. I was scared to death of Ginny's mother. And I had just proposed to her fifteen year old daughter without permission, and spent two days ravaging her. I cringed at the realization.

Ginny must have known what I was thinking, for she hit me lightly across the chest. "Don't you dare feel guilty, Harry. They just don't understand."

I looked at the fiery girl in my arms. "But… your parents are going to hate me."

Ginny shrugged her bare shoulder. "They won't hate you. I'm sure they'll be disappointed, and Mum will extract a rather alarming promise from us that we wait for several years to get married, but there is nothing they can do."

I sighed. "If you say so."

"Though we should probably tell them ourselves before they have to read about it in the paper. Because the minute we walk out that door with me wearing this ring I assure you that someone will be informing the Prophet."

I nodded my agreement. "Okay. You get dressed, and I'll deal with Hermione. Then we'll go see your parents."

I pulled my dressing gown on and made my way towards my door as Ginny disappeared into her loo. I pulled it open just as Hermione was pounding once more and she stumbled a bit before I caught her arm to steady her.

"Did you need something, Hermione?"

She glared at me. "You know very well what I need. You two need to get out of that room. There is no excuse for this kind of behaviour."

I shrugged. "Sure there is, as I'm sure Dumbledore told you when he stopped by."

She huffed. "He said you two had fought a battle on Saturday and needed your rest. But it has been two days, you should be fine."

"I'm fine. Ginny needed a bit of rest. It took a lot out of her."

She eyed me shrewdly. "And that is the only reason for you holing yourself up in this room?"

"Not precisely, but it's all you need to know about."

"Harry!"

"Ginny and I will be down for breakfast tomorrow morning, we'll see you then."

I didn't wait for her response, merely stepped back through the door and shut it quickly. With a sigh of relief for having escaped her wrath, I made my way towards my shower.

It was only a few minutes before Ginny and I were standing in front of the Burrow, her left hand clasped tightly in mind, partly for comfort and partly to hide the ring there. Finally, Ginny pulled me along and knocked on the door.

It flew open seconds later and Mrs. Weasley gasped in shock. "Ginny! Harry! What are you doing here?"

I smiled nervously as Ginny embraced her mother. "We came to tell you some good news."

Mrs. Weasley beamed and ushered us in, calling out for her husband as she did. He met us in the sitting room, smiling happily as he, too, hugged Ginny in greeting and then held out his hand to shake mine. He looked confused when I refused.

When we had all sat down, Mr. Weasley smiled at us. "You two look well. How have things been going?"

Ginny beamed. "Excellent. We had a small problem with Malfoy, but it's been taken care of. And we've been able to help Professor Dumbledore with a few tasks."

Mrs. Weasley frowned at this. "I don't like the idea of you two being involved in the war. You're too young."

"Oh, Mum, we weren't really fighting. We were handling specialised tasks, and the Headmaster was with us the whole time. There wasn't any danger."

"What sorts of things have you done," Mr. Weasley asked.

"We aren't supposed to talk about most of it yet, but we were responsible for the Dementors that were destroyed recently." I turned and gazed lovingly at Ginny. "And Ginny was able to help me."

She blushed as her mother asked, "Help you to do what, dear?"

"She destroyed my connection to Voldemort. Now I don't have to experience the pain or the visions."

Mrs. Weasley beamed at her daughter. "That's wonderful, Ginny dear."

"It unlocked some more of my power as well. I have much better control now, and I seem to have developed an affinity for electricity."

Mr. Weasley's eyes lit up. "Elektricity?"

I smiled at his mistake. "Yes. I'm running a current across my skin. It's best that I keep my distance from everyone but Ginny."

"Oh! That's why you wouldn't shake my hand!"

I nodded. "I didn't want to give you a shock."

He looked thoughtful. "How big of a shock?"

I shrugged. "I'm not sure, as it seems to depend on the person I'm touching. But based on the few people I have touched it would probably be fairly mild as I actually like you."

He grinned in excitement and offered me his hand once more. I laughed and shook my head. It was so like him. He laughed happily as he took my hand, and then peered at his hand closely. "Amazing!"

"Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley scolded lightly. "The children have something to tell us. You can play around with Harry's new power later."

"Sorry." He looked contrite. "What was it you wished to tell us?"

I looked down nervously, and Ginny took pity on me and tried to explain.

"Do you remember what Professor Dumbledore explained about the bond between us? And how we learned the effect it has on us, particularly Harry?"

They nodded. "He said it bonded you together and allowed you to work together. And then we learned that Harry had to have fairly regular physical contact of some kind."

Ginny nodded. "There's more. Somehow, we belong to each other now, and our magic knows this."

"What do you mean belong to each other?" Mrs. Weasley asked nervously.

Ginny turned to me and smiled. "Take off your shirt, love?"

I gaped at her. Was she insane? They were already going to kill me and now she wanted to tell them about the tattoos? She merely smiled at me and nodded. Closing my eyes briefly, I decided to hope she knew what she was doing. I stood up and took my shirt off, then turned around slowly.

Mrs. Weasley gasped in shock.

"Harry is mine," Ginny said softly. "And this marks him as such."

I turned back around just in time to see Mrs. Weasley narrow her eyes at her daughter. "Does this mean you have one as well, Ginevra?"

Ginny nodded meekly, then turned and stood in front of me, her back towards her parents. She made no move to lift her shirt, but this was probably to hide the ring on her finger, so I lifted it for her until I heard Mrs. Weasley's outraged shriek. Then I dropped her shirt, slipped my own back on, and pulled Ginny back to the couch.

"Ginevra Molly Weasley! What did you do to yourself?"

"Mum! It wasn't like I did it on purpose. I didn't even know about it until after the fact."

"Then why didn't you say anything earlier!"

"I was scared. I didn't know what you would say, and I didn't want to disappoint you."

Mrs. Weasley's face softened at this.

"Then why tell us now, Ginny?" Mr. Weasley asked as he placed a calming hand on his wife's knee.

Ginny glanced at me briefly before continuing. "Because Harry asked me something and I wanted you to see that it was merely a technicality to us, as we already belong to each other completely." Ginny pulled her left hand out of mine revealing her ring. "He asked me to marry him."

I closed my eyes, waiting for the explosion. It never came. Finally, I opened them and saw Mrs. Weasley staring at the ring on her daughter's hand while Mr. Weasley looked at Ginny with a resigned look on his face.

"Is this what you want, Ginny?" He asked. "Are you ready for this?"

She met his eye directly. "Of course. There is nothing I want more." She turned to me and gazed at me with love burning in her eyes. "And I think Harry needed a claim on me that he could tell the world about."

I smiled down at her and cupped her cheek in my hand. "You _are _mine, Ginevra. Now everyone will know."

She crawled into my lap and laid her head against my chest, her eyes closing briefly in contentment. I wrapped my arms tightly around her and held her there. After several moments I lifted my head and looked at her parents.

"I realise that we are very young, and we'll wait if we have to, but Ginny is my entire world. Things are very different for us, and I truly did need to place my claim on her for all to see. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, you are the only parents I have ever known and I greatly value your opinion, but there is nothing in this world strong enough to keep me away from Ginny."

Mrs. Weasley let out a quiet sob and then launched herself across the room at us. She enfolded both of us in her arms and hugged us tightly to her. When she pulled back she had tears running down her face.

"I guess that means welcome to the family, Harry. And I think it's about time you drop the Mr. and Mrs. around here. Arthur and Molly will do just fine."

I smiled up at him. "Thank you, Arthur. And thank you for Ginny."

He smiled down at us, placing one hand on his wife's shoulder and the other on Ginny's. "Now why don't we discuss when we want to have this wedding of yours?"

Ginny looked up in surprise. "You aren't going to make us wait?"

He smiled softly. "No, sweetheart. We've seen what you have between you, and understand that things are a bit different where you are concerned."

Ginny beamed at him and launched herself into his arms. I smiled happily at the sight of Ginny so excited.

"Thank you, Daddy," she mumbled into his chest.

"When would you like to get married, dears?" Molly asked.

"Tomorrow," I answered promptly.

Arthur chuckled at me. "That might be just a bit quicker than we can pull something together, son."

I shrugged. "I don't need anything fancy. I just want Ginny."

Ginny giggled as she returned to my side. She looked up at me with shining eyes. "I'd like a real wedding, Harry."

I stared down at her and nodded dumbly. "Anything."

Ginny returned her attention to her parents. "I agree that I would like it to be as soon as possible. What's the earliest you think we could arrange something small?"

Molly looked thoughtful for several moments and seemed to be counting in her head. "As long as you don't want anything too extravagant, we should be able to have a small ceremony in a couple of weeks. What about the second Friday in October? Then you would have the weekend to yourselves before you had to head back to school."

I thought about that carefully. That was three and a half weeks away. I think I could wait that long, especially as I had been anticipating a much longer wait. I looked down at Ginny for her reaction. She was beaming up at me happily.

"That would be wonderful, Molly. Thank you."

"Why don't we decide the basics now, and then Ginny and I can discuss the rest later?" We nodded our agreement, and Molly bustled off to retrieve a scroll and quill. "Now, then. Did you want anyone there besides the family?"

"I'd like Remus and Tonks to be there, and Hagrid and McGonagall."

"And Luna and Neville."

Molly nodded as she wrote that down. "And we should ask Professor Dumbledore to officiate. I'm sure he'll agree."

"Can we get married here, Mum?"

Molly smiled softly. "Of course. We can set up a small tent in the garden. We'll find some nice robes for you two." She looked thoughtfully down at her list. "Who did you want to stand up for you?"

I shrugged at Ginny's questioning look. She considered this before answering. "Ron and Hermione, of course, and perhaps Neville and Luna?"

I nodded my agreement.

"Did you have a colour in mind?"

I grinned. "I like red," I answered promptly.

They laughed lightly at me and Ginny patted my hand. "We know, dear. Maybe we can have some red on my robes, but for the others I think I would like gold."

Molly nodded. "That will look lovely, and I have just the idea for your robes. And you can wear my veil if you want."

Ginny smiled wryly. "I would love to, Mum, but I don't think it's a good idea for me to wear a veil. My hair has a tendency to catch fire when I'm happy."

Molly chuckled and nodded. "What about flowers."

Ginny looked thoughtful, but I spoke up quietly. "I'm partial to Lantanas."

Ginny looked up at me curiously. "Why?"

I fingered her hair softly. "My Aunt has them in her garden, and they always reminded me of your hair. They were the only flowers I actually liked to take care of."

I heard a sniffle beside us, and turned to Molly. "Well, we'll just have to have some then." She wiped at her eyes. "That should about do it, I think."

"I have a request," I put in quietly. "I would appreciate it if we could be married under open sky." I received two curious looks and one knowing one at this. "I have a tendency to levitate when happy, and I'm fairly certain that the first time I kiss my wife I'm not going to want to have a ceiling of any kind over me."

Arthur chuckled softly as Molly scribbled that down.

"We'll need to get your robes as soon as possible."

"We can ask Professor Dumbledore about coming home on Saturday with the others to shop for them."

She nodded and set her parchment down before beaming. "Oh, this is so exciting!"

"See, love," Ginny said. "I told you they wouldn't kill you."

Laughter filled the room and I sat back in complete contentment. I realised that I was not only gaining a wife, but a family for the first time since I could remember. I think there was little that could wipe the smile off of my face right now.

* * *

Our next stop after leaving the Burrow was Dumbledore's office. Wanting to avoid curious glances until after we had spoken to him, Ginny flamed us to the landing directly outside his office. He opened the door, an amused smile on his face, in a violently purple dressing gown.

"We're sorry for disturbing you, Headmaster, but there was something we wanted to discuss as soon as possible."

He nodded and motioned us in. "May I ask how you are feeling, Ginny?"

She smiled brightly. "I'm perfectly wonderful, thank you. I just needed some rest."

"I'm glad to hear it. And I imagine Ms. Granger will be even gladder to see you depart the sanctuary of your room."

I fought down my blush before beginning. "Sir, I've asked Ginny to be my wife, and she has accepted."

Dumbledore beamed at us. "Marvellous! Congratulations!"

"Thank you, sir. We just spoke with Ginny's parents and based on the rather unusual nature of our connection, we have determined it is best not to wait. We would be delighted if you would consent to marry us on October 11th."

Dumbledore's eyes widened slightly in shock before focusing on Ginny. "Your parents agreed to let you get married that soon?"

She laughed. "I was just as surprised as you are, Professor."

He chuckled. "I would be honoured. I assume you wish to get married at the Burrow?"

"Yes, sir."

He nodded. "And you will probably be needing to leave somewhat regularly to plan things."

"Yes. Mum wants us, along with Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna, to stop by on Saturday so we can be fitted for robes."

"I will allow this, as long as one of yourselves or your parents is with the others at all times. With the exception of Ms. Granger they are not old enough to protect themselves."

"Of course. Thank you, sir."

"It is always my pleasure to foster young love. Now, you had best be on your way. I'm sure you wish to inform your friends before the entire school finds out in the morning."

I grinned and nodded my thanks before taking Ginny's hand in my own, making sure the ring was concealed between us, and leading her down the stairs. We didn't speak on our walk back to the tower, but I couldn't seem to stop my fingers from running over the ring on her hand. Knowing that she was wearing _my_ ring and that soon she would bear my name as well was making me have to actively fight down the wind that wanted to explode out of me.

We clambered through the portrait hole, ignoring the Fat Lady's questions about where we had been at this time of night, and walked into the Common Room. It was empty except for a couple of fifth years that were studying on a table in the corner. With a squeeze to Ginny's hand, I leaned down and spoke in her ear. "You get Hermione and I'll get Ron and Neville. Meet you down here in five."

She nodded and skipped off up the stairs. I watched her go, entranced simply by the way she moved, before shaking myself and climbing up to my old dorm room. Dean and Seamus were already asleep, and Neville looked almost there, but Ron was sitting on his bed and glaring at my door. I raised an eyebrow at this, surprised at his anger.

"Hey, Ron."

His head whipped around to see me standing in the doorway. "Where have the two of you been? No one has seen you in over two days?"

"We were in our room."

"And just what were you doing with my sister alone for two days, Potter?"

I smirked. "If you come down to the common room, we'll tell you." Well, I would tell him some of it. Some things were best left unsaid.

He looked taken aback by this, but shrugged and hopped up. I went over to Neville and shook him slightly. "Mate, wake up." He blinked up at me, confused. "Ginny and I need to talk to you about something downstairs."

He nodded tiredly and trudged out of bed, throwing a dressing gown on as he made his way to the door. I followed the two of them down the stairs and was pleased to see Hermione already waiting for us. Hermione was tapping her foot impatiently and I smiled at it; it was probably killing her that no one would tell her what was going on.

"Where's Ginny?"

Hermione turned around and looked at me. "She went to go get Luna."

I nodded. It made sense that she wanted to tell everyone at once.

"Are you going to tell us what this is all about?" Hermione demanded.

"In a minute, 'Mione. Let's wait for the girls to get here."

She huffed at the delay, but didn't say anything else. Ron collapsed on the couch next to her, and Neville sat down tiredly in an armchair, yawning. I stood in front of the fire, nervous that Ron already seemed mad at me.

It took a good ten minutes for the portrait hole to open and Ginny and Luna to climb through, as they would have had to walk back. Luna sat in the chair next to Neville, a small smile on her face, and Ginny came and joined me, taking my hand in hers. She smiled encouragingly, and I knew that I was going to be the one telling the story this time.

"Ginny and I helped Professor Dumbledore again on Saturday."

"Doing what?" Hermione asked.

"We can't answer that." She glared at me. "And don't give me that look. You know it isn't by choice. But anyway, the task we had to do was very exhausting for Ginny, so I took her back to our room to recover."

"And that took two bloody days?" Ron grumbled.

"Not exactly. During that time I asked Ginny a question, and then we spoke to her parents and Professor Dumbledore to make arrangements." I paused and took a deep breath. "Ginny and I are getting married in a little over three weeks."

I was grateful that I had had the presence of mind to place a silencing charm around the room as Ron exploded. He jumped up and started stalking towards me, cursing the entire way, but I released a focused burst of wind that pushed him back into his seat.

"Listen, Ron. I know exactly how young we are, but things are very different for Ginny and I. This thing between us makes it almost imperative that I have some kind of claim on her, and I simply cannot wait for her to be of age."

"Ron," Ginny walked carefully towards her brother. "I already belong completely to Harry; this will just make it official. And you aren't going to be losing your sister, just gaining a brother. Haven't you always wanted Harry to be your brother?"

Ron grumbled at her. "Not like this, I didn't. It isn't right."

"Mum and Dad accept this, so I don't see why you can't."

"Because you're only fifteen!"

"And yet Harry and I already share a bond so powerful it could blow this castle apart. A little marriage certificate seems insignificant in comparison."

I didn't exactly agree with that last thought, but I could see what she was trying to explain to him, and so I held my tongue.

"Why can't you wait?"

"I can't explain it very well, Ron," I broke in. "But I simply _can't_. I need Ginny, and I need my best mate there beside me on the happiest day of my life."

He glared in my direction. "I'll think about it."

"And that goes for the rest of you as well," Ginny added. "We would like all of you to stand up with us."

"When are you getting married?" Neville asked.

"Friday the 11th of October. Dumbledore has already given us permission to visit my home this Saturday to get fitted for our robes."

"I'd be honoured," our shy friend answered.

"Thank you, Neville."

"May we see your ring, Ginny?" Luna asked.

Ginny beamed and held out her hand. I rolled my eyes as she and Luna squealed over it. Girls were rather silly sometimes. They I turned my attention to Hermione, who had remained oddly quiet.

"'Mione?"

She looked up at me and I was startled to see tears in her eyes. "Oh, Harry! Of course I'll be there for you." She launched herself into my arms and I barely managed to catch her.

"Thank you. I'm going to need my sister there with me."

She sobbed harder into my shoulder, and I patted her awkwardly on the back, desperately hoping I wasn't electrocuting one of my best friends. Eventually she pulled away, still sniffling, and turned to hug Ginny.

"Ron?"

He glared up at me. "I'll be there, but don't expect me to be happy about it."

I nodded. "I can live with that."

* * *

The whispers followed us the minute we stepped down the stairs the next day. Ginny's ring seemed to be a beacon that called everyone's attention, and the fact that Ron had glared at me that morning in the Common Room only seemed to add fuel to the fire. We were sitting at the breakfast table and Ginny was using her hands to pull her hair up into a messy knot on the back of her head when things got really interesting. Ginny's ring caught the light and sparkled merrily, and several girls near us let out squeals of delight.

"Is that an _engagement ring_?" Dean Thomas demanded as he marched towards us.

I turned and looked at him. "Yes."

The hall around us broke out in excited babble as the suspicions were confirmed. "You have the nerve to steal my girl and then propose not even two months later? What did you do, knock her up?"

I stiffened. It hadn't occurred to me that people would jump to that conclusion. I guess I had been naive to think that people would understand that we were doing this simply out of love and a need to be together. "No, for your information, I did not. I simply fell in love with her."

"Potter and the Weasette are getting married?" I rolled my eyes before turning and meeting Malfoy's eyes for the first time since our little altercation.

"Yes, Malfoy, we are. Now do I need to remind you to leave us alone?"

He paled before scurrying back to his table with his tail between his legs. I turned back to Dean.

"Do I need to teach you the same lesson?"

Ginny placed a hand on my chin and pulled my head down to look at her. "Leave him to me, love. There's no reason for you to lose your temper." Then she turned to Dean and her expression hardened. "Let me get one thing straight with you, Thomas. The only reason I ever even agreed to date you was because I thought I would never get Harry. So don't take your anger out on him just because I never let you touch me."

Dean turned red (a rather remarkable thing to see on his dark skin) as Seamus exploded into laughter at his side. "You didn't let him touch you? That's not what he was bragging about." He turned to his best mate. "What was it you said? You had something of hers that Potter never would?"

I roared, literally roared, with anger as I leapt to my feet, electricity sparking around me. _"What did you say?"_

"He's been bragging for weeks that he stole her virginity from you." Seamus managed to get out between rounds of laughter.

I saw red. Thomas was going to pay for even _thinking_ that about my Ginny. But before I could do anything, Ginny was sauntering in front of me. She placed a hand on my chest. "Let me handle it, love." She turned and strolled up to where Thomas stood petrified with Seamus sill laughing at his side. "You shouldn't spread such lies trying to get Harry to leave me, Thomas." She leaned closer to him and whispered the next part. "After all, he knows the truth about that statement. Intimately."

Ginny flicked her finger at him, and the next instant Thomas was on the floor screaming. I smirked as Ginny strolled back to me and wrapped her arms around my neck. There, burned on to his forehead, was the word _liar_ for all the world to see. My girl had a vindictive streak, and it was sexy as hell.

"I suggest you get yourself to the hospital wing, Thomas, and stop spreading lies about Ginny. She's going to be my wife shortly, and there is nothing you can do about that, so don't even try. Next time, she won't be able to stop me."

Seamus, still chuckling, helped Thomas off the floor and they made their way out of the Great Hall. I turned and glared at all the students gawking at us, silently asking if anyone else was going to start something. Most of them lowered their eyes when they meant mine, and I returned to my seat, my anger still simmering. Ginny gave me an impish smile and sat herself in my lap. Then she slipped her fingers around my neck and pulled me in for a kiss.

"Oi! Do you two always have to do that?"

I looked up and met Ron's furious gaze, grateful that he had just got here and missed Thomas' comments and Ginny's retaliation. "She's trying to call me down before I completely lose my temper."

"What has you so upset, Harry?" Hermione asked gently as she sat down across from us.

"Thomas." I growled out.

Ron opened his mouth, no doubt to ask what the wanker had done, but Ginny shook her head furiously and he snapped his mouth closed. Trying to ignore the fact that nearly every eye in the hall was on us, Ginny slid reluctantly out of my lap and we tried to eat our breakfast.

* * *

Wednesday morning I was greeted with another article about Ginny and I in the Prophet. This one contained a picture of us kissing the previous morning, Ginny's ring clearly visible.

_The Chosen One to Wed_

_It has come to our attention that Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, proposed to his girlfriend, Ginevra Weasley, this weekend. The young couple, who just recently celebrated their sixteenth and fifteenth birthdays, respectively, caused quite a stir when they arrived at breakfast yesterday morning with Ginevra sporting Lily Potter's engagement ring. This is just the latest in a series of unusual happenings surrounding the couple, who just recently revealed that they are elementalists. The rather quick engagement, coming when both are so young, suggests that there must be a reason behind the rush._

_Are we to expect a new little Potter in the future? Our sources were unable to discover the answer to this question, but schoolmates of the newly engaged couple say they can rarely seem to keep their hands off each other. Did young Mr. Potter and his fiancée get in trouble? Only time will tell._

_We at the Prophet do not yet know the date of the Chosen One's wedding, but we will be on the lookout for any information regarding the couple. We hope the soon to be Mrs. Potter will be up to dealing with the excitement that will always surround our favourite hero._

I threw the paper down in disgust. Really? Couldn't they think of any other reason I would want to marry Ginny besides having knocked her up? I was just glad they hadn't gotten a hold of our interaction with that wanker Thomas. Ginny's comment would be sure to be construed as confirmation for their theories.

"Mr. Potter."

I turned to see the stern face of Professor McGonagall. "Yes, Professor?"

"You have a visitor that wishes to speak with you. If you and your fiancée would proceed to the Headmaster's office immediately, please."

I nodded my head in acknowledgement. What else was going to go wrong today? Perhaps the other five Weasley brothers were waiting to pound me. I'm sure they wanted to. Ginny laced our fingers together as we walked, neither of us speaking.

I was certainly _not_ expecting the Minster of Magic to be waiting for me. My eyes popped wide in surprise.

"Mr. Potter, it is a pleasure to see you again." He held his hand out to shake mine, but I just stared at him.

"You probably don't want to shake his hand, Minister," Ginny spoke up. "Harry has recently started to carry an electric current across his skin. It can be most unpleasant to touch him."

The Minister eyed our clasped hands. "You don't seem to be having a problem."

She smirked. "I'm special."

"Indeed. If you would take a seat, there is a rather unfortunate issue that I must speak to you about."

With a feeling of dread, I sat down and Ginny sat by my side.

"It has come to my intention that you intend to be married rather shortly."

"Yes, sir." I answered, shortly.

"I offer my congratulations on your engagement; however, I am afraid that I must inform you of a matter that will prevent your marriage from taking place for some time."

I gritted my teeth. "And what is that, Minister?"

"Surely you are aware that there are laws against underage marriage?"

"Yes, sir. We spoke with Ginny's parents already and they have given us permission."

"That is good; however, _you_ must also have permission from your guardians. I believe your guardianship belongs to Petunia Evans Dursley, your maternal aunt."

My mouth fell open in shock. Was he honestly saying I would need Aunt Petunia's permission to marry Ginny? She would never agree to anything that would make me happy. Dejected, I slumped in my seat.

The Minister, who obviously realised that I recognised what this meant, was smirking at me. "I am, however, willing to negotiate this with you. I would be amenable to tweaking the law for your benefit if you were to… assist me in some matters."

I glared at him. Was he honestly trying to blackmail me into helping him? That was low.

Ginny squeezed my hand before speaking up. "That won't be necessary, thank you, Minister."

His eyes shot over to meet hers and I turned to stare at her in astonishment. Did that mean she didn't want to get married soon?

"You are willing to wait nearly a year until Mr. Potter turns of age?"

"No, sir. We will have the permission of his guardian."

I was confused. She knew as well as I did that Petunia would never consent. Especially after what happened this summer. "Ginny?"

She turned and winked at me. "If I am not mistaken, Professor Dumbledore is right now fetching Harry's guardian, if you would care to wait a minute." I stared at her. Aunt Petunia was coming _here_? And how did she know that?

Ginny's eyes met mine and then shot over to a corner behind the Minister. Confused, I followed her gaze and was shocked to see Fawkes preening in the corner. I blinked and looked again. It looked like the phoenix was _giggling_. Could phoenix's giggle? Then Fawkes looked at me and gave a distinct wink. I blinked once more. Clearly, the bird was trying to tell us something, and seemed to think that it would all work out. I shrugged and turned back to the Minister.

He was looking between us in utter confusion.

The silence stretched on for nearly five minutes before the floo flared and Professor Dumbledore tumbled out, followed closely by Remus Lupin. I stared at Remus in shock. Did that mean he was my guardian now? How come no one had told me?

"Good morning, Minister." Dumbledore greeted.

"Dumbledore."

"My apologies for my late arrival. We had to get a last minute form signed." He gestured to Remus, who handed a roll of parchment to the Minister before winking at me. The Minister read the document and looked up in shock. "As you can see, Petunia Dursley has signed over all guardianship of Harry Potter to Remus Lupin, effective this morning." Dumbledore looked at me with twinkling eyes. "She seemed quite pleased to do so."

I laughed happily.

"This is highly unorthodox, Dumbledore. I'm not sure we can allow a werewolf to hold guardianship of a child."

"I think you will find that a magically binding contract. Remus offered to take care of Harry, and she happily signed the papers."

The Minister sputtered for several minutes, before his shoulders sagged in defeat. "Very well." He turned to me. "I'm glad we were able to clear that up." With a nod to Dumbledore, he made his way to the floo and disappeared.

I turned to Remus. "How did you talk her into that?" I asked in awe.

He grinned at me. "Professor Dumbledore simply promised that if she agreed she would never see you again." His grin turned feral. "And I might have threatened to pay them a little visit if she didn't agree. The full moon is in five days."

I laughed. That would terrify her. "Thank you, Remus."

"My pleasure, Harry."

* * *

Ginny flamed home that night to discuss wedding details with her mother. I had protested this, but she quietly told me that I couldn't come with her. Something about keeping her wedding robes a secret. I had been grumbling about this all afternoon as Hermione tried to explain the custom to me. So dinner found me sitting across from Ron and Hermione, with Neville by my side instead of Ginny. It was depressing. I didn't have much of an appetite, and was merely picking at my food. There was a familiar gnawing in my stomach at her absence.

"Harry," Hermione chided me gently. "You really should eat something."

I glared at her. "I don't know why we have to do this."

"I told you, it is the correct thing to do."

"Seems a great bloody nuisance to me."

There was a large gasp behind me and suddenly someone plopped into the seat at my side. Startled, I turned to find Cho Chang looking up at me with tears in her black eyes.

"Oh, Harry!" Her hands fluttered out, but stopped hesitantly inches away from me. "You poor dear!"

"Um… do you need something, Cho?"

"It's just so horrible what they are putting you through!"

I looked at her in confusion. Why was she upset over the fact that I couldn't be with Ginny right now? The girl was barmy.

"Are you sure you really have to?"

"Um… Ginny's mum is insisting on it."

"How do you know they're not just trying to trick you?"

"Trick me?"

"Yes! You're so hopelessly noble about everything, Harry."

I looked up as Hermione burst out giggling, then turned my attention back to Cho who seemed to be _petting_ the air above my arm. I pulled back in disgust. "What are you going on about Cho?"

"Oh, it is just so sad! Are you sure it is even your fault?"

Hermione's giggles turned to full blown laughter. I shot her a glare. "Is what my fault, Cho?"

"The baby."

My eyes bugged out of my head. "What baby?"

"Ginny's baby. Are you sure you're even the father? She is probably just trying to trick you. Are you sure she is even pregnant?"

I nearly fell out of my seat, cursing. "No! She is _not_ pregnant! Whatever gave you that idea?"

"But… why else would you be marrying her?"

"Because I love her!"

She smiled up at me indulgently. "It's okay, Harry. She's not even here right now. You can tell me the truth. I heard you complaining about the wedding."

I stared at her. This girl just didn't get it. "You want to know what I was complaining about? The fact that Ginny wouldn't let me come with her tonight. She and her mother are shopping for robes and apparently I'm not allowed to see them before our wedding day." Cho's eyes looked confused. The girl was dense. "I _love_ Ginny, and that is why I am marrying her. She is not pregnant, and even if she was, there is no way it would be from someone else."

"She better not be pregnant," Ron muttered from across the table.

I glared at him. "She isn't."

"How sure are you?"

I could see he was fishing for whether or not I had slept with her, but I wasn't going to answer him. "Pretty damn sure." He huffed, evidently not satisfied with my answer, and I turned back to Cho. "Please get out of whatever fantasy world you are living in. I am marrying Ginny because I can't stand the idea of spending another minute without her. I don't have to explain myself to you, or anyone else for that matter."

"But, Harry!"

"No!"

She huffed and her eyes filled with tears. I swear, all that girl ever did was cry. She reached her hand out again to try and touch me, and then drew back sharply when electricity sparked across my arm.

"Do you see? You can't even touch me without hurting yourself, so how could you ever expect to be with me? So please, leave me alone and find someone else to fawn over."

She burst into tears. Disgusted with her, and just needing to get away, I called the wind and disappeared. Next time, I was going with Ginny whether she wanted me to or not. I'd wear a blind fold if I had to, but I refused to be left on my own again.

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed that, and I hope you understand their reasons behind this. For those who have missed it, Harry had a strong need for both physical contact with Ginny, and a claim on her. He needs the world to know she is his. Since they are keeping their elemental bonding quiet, this was the next best way. Mrs. and Mr. Weasley saw the results of placing too much stress on this need of his first hand, and so that is why they are accepting. Ginny has an equal strong need, though of a different kind. Incidentally, Ron will be the one to first realise this... in a chapter or two.

If you read my other stories, Godric's Legacy is almost done. Just one more chapter to tie things up. War on Voldemort is on hold for the moment until I can revamp it and bring it up the level I expect from my stories. I have a, rather short, story that is complete and will be posting right after this, as well as about half way through another. I've discovered that it is probably best for me if I write the entire thing before beginning posting it, as this way I'm not keeping you waiting when I get writer's block. And I tend to get it less when no one but me knows about the story. So while I will finish the stories I'm working on (with Elemental now the priority) new stories will only be posted once they are done. That being said, I have written 160 pages on the new story in two weeks.

As always, I'd love to hear what you think. And there will be action in the next chapter...

Oh, and the hallow: either they left it there because no one recognised it, or Dumbledore went back for it, used it to talk to Ariana, and finally got some peace. Either way, it won't be in my story any more.


	8. Chapter 7: Preparations for Happiness

I breathed a sigh of relief when Saturday morning dawned. We would be going shopping and I was looking forward to getting out of the castle. I had spent most of the last two days hiding in my room whenever I could. Ginny had come back on Wednesday night glowing with happiness, and I hadn't had the guts to tell her about my confrontation with Cho. I just held her and told her I had missed her. She wouldn't tell me about her robes, only telling me that she had put some red in just for me.

I shook Ginny gently awake. "It's time to get up, love."

She blinked up at me groggily. "Already?"

"Yes, love. We need to get everything done before lunch, remember?" Ginny and Molly had determined that the three of us would try and get most of the wedding preparations done this morning, and then our friends would join us in the afternoon to get fitted for their robes.

Ginny nodded at me as she sat up, and then trudged into the loo. I smiled after her, and pulled out my clothes for the day. I hesitated over whether to wear my dragon hide armour. We were going to be out in public all day, but it would be cumbersome. I decided that wearing our coats should be enough and set out both mine and Ginny's.

I took both of us to the small alley behind the Leaky Cauldron and we made our way into the pub where we were meeting Molly Weasley. She was already sitting at a table waiting for us, and with her were Tonks and Fleur. I raised my eyebrows at this, but figured Fleur was going to be family eventually, and Tonks basically already was.

"Harry! Ginny! It's so good to see you!" Molly made her way over and engulfed Ginny in a hug. She smiled at me, and I was kind of glad for the lack of crushing to my ribs now that it was inadvisable to touch me.

"Hello, Molly. Tonks, Fleur, it is good to see you."

"Wotcher, Harry!" Tonks grinned at me. "Remus decided that you need someone to act as your mother in these proceedings."

I grinned at her. "And you got picked why?" She laughed, and I turned to Fleur. "How are you, Fleur?"

"'Onderful, 'arry! I am so excited for you and Ginny."

"Thank you. How is Bill?"

Fleur's smile fell for an instant. "'e is well." Her gaze shifted to Ginny. "'e is coming to terms with your marriage."

"Enough of that," Molly bustled. "Let's sit down and eat before getting started."

I pulled out a chair for Ginny and then sat down beside her. "What was it we need to get done today?" I asked as I filled my plate.

"Your robes this afternoon, as you know. We also need to pick out flowers and invitations, as well as find a photographer and get you wedding rings. I was also thinking we could rent a nice gazebo and some chairs while we were here."

I nodded. "I might need to step away for a bit at some point. I have some arrangements I need to make."

Ginny turned to me curiously. "What do you need to do?"

I grinned at her. "I have a honeymoon to plan."

She giggled.

"I think Remus had some idea for that, actually," Tonks put in. "You might want to talk to him first."

I nodded my agreement. For the rest of breakfast the ladies chatted around me, happily discussing different arrangements. I just sat back and let them talk, my hand often coming to rest on Ginny's knee. When everyone was done eating, we made our way into the alley.

The florist was first, and I let the girls alone for much of the time. Ginny came up at one point and asked me to point out my favourite shades of Lantanas, which I did with a slight blush. They were all the shades present in her hair. Tonks teased me about this while Ginny picked out the flowers for her bouquet. After the florist, we came upon a small jewellery store, and Ginny and I were instructed to pick out wedding bands while the other ladies went to the shop next door and rented the equipment for the wedding.

"Um… I don't think it matters much to me. As long as we have rings."

Ginny smiled at me and took my hand. She led me over to a case and started pointing out different ones she liked. She found a nice men's band that was gold with a delicate etching on the surface.

"Do you like that one, Harry?"

I peered down at it, and asked the proprietor if I could try it on. It looked good, but felt a little too bulky on my finger. "I like it, but is there any way we could get something similar, but a little smaller? This one feels too big."

The man behind the counter smiled and assured me that would be fine.

"We'll also need to spell both of our rings against fire," Ginny added.

This hadn't occurred to me. I looked down at Ginny's engagement ring, glad it hadn't already been destroyed. I slipped it off of her finger and passed it to the man, asking if he could do the same for her ring right now. Then we began the process of finding a wedding ring for Ginny.

"Do you want a ring with more stones in it?"

She shook her head. "My engagement ring is sparkly enough. I just want something simple."

I considered this carefully, looking down at the case in front of us. I pointed out a set of thin gold bands. "What about something like that? You could wear one on either side of your ring so it doesn't look lopsided."

She looked at them carefully, and then asked the man if she could try them on. She placed all three rings on her dainty fingers, and I stared down at them in awe. Soon, she would be wearing those to show the world that she was mine. She laughed softly at my expression.

"We'll take them. Harry seems to like the way they look."

I laughed with her as she took them off and handed the two bands over to the man. He cast several spells on them, informing us they were self-sizing spells, cleaning spells, and the requested fire protection. Then he wrapped all three rings up and gave me the small boxes. I paid for them, and we went next door to find the others. I was rather relieved that I had gotten to pay for them, as Arthur Weasley and I had already come to heads over who was paying for this wedding. He insisted that he and Molly had been saving for this since Ginny was born, but I didn't want to burden them.

I hadn't won that argument.

Molly was happily chatting away with a female attendant over a large picture book while Tonks and Fleur were standing over several fabric samples. They explained that they were choosing the fabric that would cover the chairs. Ginny laughed and rolled her eyes when I suggested red.

"Harry, most of my family can't wear red. It clashes horribly with their hair."

I pouted at her. "You look fabulous in red."

"But my hair is very different from my brothers'."

"I know," I mumbled. Tonks must have heard me, because she burst into giggles and her hair flashed the colour of Ginny's. I glared at her.

Ginny held up a piece of fabric to me; it was a cream coloured with a gold stitching. "What do you think of this?"

"Sure." I really didn't have much of an opinion.

"It will go well with the gold robes that Hermione and Luna will be wearing."

Ginny went over and sat next to her mother, exclaiming over some of the pictures, and Tonks cornered me.

"How are you holding up with all this, Harry?"

I grinned. "Marvellously." Then I remembered how I had been hiding in my room for two days. "At least here. I don't like all the attention it is bringing. No one understands."

She smiled wryly. "I know. Most everyone seems to think Ginny is knocked up."

I scowled. "Yes, I've heard that."

She patted my arm, flinching back from the shock. "Forget about that. Anyway, it will all blow over. It won't take them long to realise that Ginny _isn't_ pregnant."

"Yeah. I hope so."

She grinned, and turned to the others as Molly announced they were done. I followed the girls to a small shop a few doors down and was instructed to sit as the young girl behind the counter showed us what seemed like several hundred invitations. I was frankly mystified by the selection we were offered, but stared at them nonetheless. The girl was looking at me oddly and I was trying to avoid her gaze. Ginny was looking at all the options with pursued lips.

"Most of these are too fancy, Mum. We'd like something simpler."

The girl sighed and scooped them all up, only to dump another selection in front of us. Ginny seemed to like these more, and bent to examine them. As she was shifting through them, something at the bottom caught my eye. I reached over and pulled it out, sucking in a breath.

"These are perfect!"

Ginny looked up to see what I was holding. It was a simple cream coloured invitation with golden writing in the middle, much like most of the others. The thing that made it perfect was that along the edges danced red flames. Ginny smiled at me.

"I do like it, love." She turned and rifled through the pile before her and pulled another one out, then turned to the girl. "Is there any way you could use that one, only add an emerald ribbon like in this one?"

I leaned over to get a closer look as they discussed it. The invitation Ginny was holding had a purple ribbon that wound around the centre words, and the ribbon was moving gently as if it was being blown by the wind. Ginny was brilliant. If we could combine the two, we would have red flames for her and emerald wind for me.

It didn't take long for them to come to an agreement. Because we were trying to keep the day of the wedding a secret, we would be filling most of the information in ourselves, but I didn't mind the extra work. I was worried about news of our wedding getting out and reporters, or Voldemort, trying something.

Our last stop of the morning was in a bright little store whose walls were covered with moving pictures. There was a small little man behind the counter who was tinkering with some rather alarming looking camera equipment. When we walked in he looked up and squeaked in surprise.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley, what an honour!"

I rolled my eyes at the attention and turned to examine some of the photographs. They were quite good. I supposed I could put up with the photographer if his pictures turned out so well. I knew it was important to Ginny that we have pictures commemorating the event. However, I was nervous about hiring him. Once Molly had reached an agreement with him, I approached them.

"If I may, I have some concerns I would like to address." They both turned to look at me. "I would like some kind of guarantee that the date and location of our wedding won't get out, as well as that no copies of our pictures will be made."

Molly smiled at me, and the little man bounced in place. "Of course, Mr. Potter. I can sign a confidentiality oath with you, if you want."

I nodded my appreciation, and he disappeared into the back, reappearing moments later with a scroll in hand. I breathed a sigh of relief when we signed it.

After the photographer's, we went to a small café that I hadn't seen before to have a quick lunch. It was a relief to me to sit down for a bit, as shopping with four very excited ladies was exhausting. Then we made our way to Madam Malkin's to get my robes fitted. The others were supposed to join us in about half an hour, and Tonks was heading to the Leaky Cauldron to escort them.

We entered the small shop, and Madam Malkin met us and led us back to a private room, for which I was grateful. Then she turned to Molly and Ginny.

"Now, what colour were you thinking for Mr. Potter?"

Ginny smiled at me. "Black, with emerald accents." She looked thoughtful for a few moments. "Maybe some of those new suit style robes, with an emerald vest?"

Madam Malkin nodded her head and bustled out of the room as I was told where to stand and instructed to take off my coat. She came back in with her arms full of robes that she set in a chair to the side. She held out a green vest with gold stitching, a black button down shirt, and a pair of black trousers and instructed me to put them on, then to come back out to be pinned.

It wasn't until I was heading back out to where she stood waiting with a rather large pin cushion that I thought of something rather important. "Um… we may have a problem."

"Do they not fit, dear?"

"Oh, not that. But you want to pin robes on me and I'm fairly certain you aren't going to want to touch me."

Ginny gasped. "I hadn't thought of that!"

Madam Malkin looked between the two of us with a confused look. "What do you mean I'm not going to want to touch you?"

"I deliver a shock every time someone touches me."

Her eyes went wide. "Oh! That could be a problem."

"Madam Malkin?" Ginny asked. "Is there any way you could tell me how to pin? I can touch him just fine."

The woman looked at her curiously before nodding and waving her over. She handed me a set of black robes that were cut so that they had very little front, allowing the vest and trousers to be seen, and then circled around me, pointing out where to put pins. It took a bit longer to do this way, and before we were done Tonks was back with the others. Ron entered and started laughing at me right away.

"You look like Malfoy, mate!"

Ginny stopped and glared at him. "He does not! He looks very handsome. Just wait until it's your turn."

That shut Ron up, and he sat down with Neville to wait. Another sales girl was already measuring Hermione and Luna. Finally, Madam Malkin declared she was done with me, and I was sent back to change. By the time I came back out, Hermione and Luna both were wearing long golden dresses and Ron and Neville were staring at them in awe. I chuckled at the sight.

"You look very nice, Luna, Hermione."

Luna smiled dreamily at me, and Hermione said, "Thank you, Harry."

I was a little surprised to see that they were wearing dresses instead of robes. I turned to Ginny. "Are you wearing a dress, too? Or robes?"

She smiled at me. "Robes don't look nearly as flattering on girls as they do on boys. I like the dress styles much better."

I took that for confirmation and grinned. There would be a lot more skin visible if she were wearing a dress. I was pointed to a seat and told to sit down while the girls were taken care of. I spent most of my time chuckling at Ron and Neville. I had known that Ron was arse over teakettle in love with Hermione, but I hadn't expected the way that Neville was looking at Luna. Grinning, I hoped they worked it out; she would be good for my shy friend. After the girls were done, it was Ron and Neville's turn. Their robes were similar to mine, though their vests were black instead of green. I guess Ginny wanted me to stand out a bit.

It was as Madam Malkin was busy pinning up Neville's robe that the building shook with a large explosion.

I jumped up and dove for my dragon hide coat, throwing it on, and turning to Hermione. "You stay here with the boys and Luna; they aren't old enough to fight." I noticed that Molly was shooting a Patronus out of her wand, and I hoped that meant the Order was on its way.

Hermione spluttered at me, but I didn't stay around long enough to fight with her. Ginny, Tonks, and I were already dashing for the door. We stepped out into the Alley and complete chaos. With a quick glance around, I spotted what looked like at least ten figures in black cloaks shooting spells into the crowds. Very few people were fighting back. I growled with fury and turned to Ginny.

"I'm going to try to get the innocent people out of here. Cover me, please?"

She nodded, her hands coming up and releasing a shield of fire. I had never tried this before, but there were too many innocent people around, and I was desperate. With short, focused bursts of wind, I sent people crashing through doors, separating them from the Death Eaters. I'm sure I was injuring some people, but that was better in my book than death. Once a shop was full, Ginny would send another fire shield in front of it, preventing anyone else from entering, and we would move on. I could see Tonks fighting madly off to the side, and many times she cast a shield over the two of us right before a spell came our way. I was also keeping an eye out for the green of the Killing Curse, as I knew Ginny could not block it. Instead, I would duck quickly out of the way, or flick a finger and redirect it into a wall if I could.

I had no idea how long we had been at it when I realised that all of the people had been safely hidden in various shops. I breathed a sigh of relief before quickly becoming aware that this meant most of the Death Eaters were now focused on us. Ginny stayed where she was, as she had to concentrate on keeping up the shields in front of the all the shops, but I was almost instantly in the air. It was much easier to get out of the way of spells when I was airborne. And then I went on the offensive. My hands shot out and lightning jumped from my palms. Each impact was met by horrible screams, but I didn't care. These people were _monsters_, and they deserved it. I took them out one by one, my last one being the one that was fighting with Tonks. She looked up at me and nodded. I remained in the air, looking around for any more threats. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of fire, and turned, lightning ready in my hand, only to crush it down when I saw Professor Dumbledore appear with Fawkes.

He looked around quickly, and then gazed up at me. "It's over, Harry. You can come down now."

I nodded, and sunk down to the ground.

Dumbledore turned to Ginny. "If you could lower your shields, please? They are preventing the Aurors from getting here."

Ginny smiled sheepishly and called all the fire shields back. "Sorry, Professor, I didn't think of that."

He smiled gently at her. "It is all right, dear girl. They did much more good than harm today."

The Alley quickly began flooding with people, and I tensed once more. Dumbledore waved his wand, and brought all the Death Eaters to the ground in front of him. He cast a spell over them, and frowned slightly.

"They are all dead."

"Yes." I said.

He sighed and looked at me. "You did what you had to do, Harry."

He vanished all their masks, and I looked down at their faces. I didn't recognise most of the faces, but as I got to the one that had been fighting Tonks I drew in a ragged breath. I knew that face. "Dolohov," I hissed. Here was the man that had cursed Hermione in the Department of Mysteries.

"Yes, that is Dolohov," Dumbledore acknowledged. "You did a great thing in stopping him, Harry."

I nodded and wrapped my arms tightly around Ginny. I knew that someone would want to talk to us before we were free to go. Currently, the Alley was swarming with worried parents screaming for their children, and Aurors talking quietly to witnesses. I watched as most people pointed in our direction. After a few minutes, Tonks walked up with a grim looking man in Auror robes.

"Harry, Ginny, this is Auror Michaels. He would like to talk to you about what happened."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley. Would you mind telling me what happened today?" His voice was curiously monotone and dead sounding, but his eyes were piercing.

"Yes, sir," I answered. "Ginny and I were in Madam Malkin's with some of our friends when we heard a rather large explosion. The two of us, along with Tonks, hurried out to help."

"Why did you not stay in the safety of the shop? You are both underage, are you not?"

"We are, but we didn't use any spells today. You are aware that we are both elementalists?" He nodded. "We knew we could help, and so we did."

"Very well. What happened then?"

"We saw that there were a lot of innocent people in the Alley, so I used the wind to force them into stores, and Ginny put a fire shield in front of each store after it was full. Her shields won't stop everything, but we hoped it would be enough to protect everyone inside."

"You are aware that you injured several people by forcing them into stores, and hindered the Aurors from helping because we could not get passed your shields?"

"Yes, sir. We weren't aware that we were blocking the Aurors at the time; we just wanted to protect the people. And I knew that it was better to injure them while getting them to safety than for them to die at the hands of a Death Eater."

He looked at me carefully before nodding. "Go on."

"Once the Alley was clear, Ginny had to remain here to hold her shields, but I went airborne to fight." He raised an eyebrow at this but didn't comment. "And then I took out the Death Eaters."

"You killed twelve individuals, boy."

"No, I killed twelve Death Eaters."

"What did you use to kill them?"

I held up my hand and conjured another lightning bolt briefly before throwing it at the ground. "Lightning. It stops the heart instantly." He was staring at me coldly. "Look, I dodged at least five Killing Curses and who knows how many other damaging ones. I was fighting for my life, and since I am _underage_ and could not fight with my wand, I had very little choice. Would you have preferred I called down a tornado so that you could be cleaning up what little was left of Diagon Alley?"

The corner of his mouth turned up in what must be a smile. It looked odd on him. "No, Mr. Potter, you did what you had to. We thank you for your help in protecting the occupants of Diagon Alley today. We will be in contact if we have any more questions."

I nodded at him, and watched as he walked towards Dumbledore and began questioning the Headmaster.

"You did well, Harry," Tonks said quietly. "Very few people impress Michaels."

I nodded. "Are we free to go now?"

"Yes, Harry. Why don't the two of you go check on your friends? I daresay that Molly is having kittens by now worrying about you."

I grinned and led Ginny back into the shop. She hadn't said a word, and it was worrying me, so before we entered the private room where our friends were waiting for us I stopped and wrapped my arms around her.

"Are you okay, Ginny?"

She nodded against my chest.

"You were brilliant, love."

She scoffed slightly. "I didn't do anything. You're the one who saved the day."

I pulled her gently away from me until I could see her face. "That's not true. You protected all those people from getting hurt, and that is remarkable. And you protected me. I couldn't have done it without you."

She took a deep shuddering breath. "That was scary."

"I know, love."

She fisted her hands in the lapels of my coat and dragged me down to her, kissing me desperately. And I kissed her back. This is what I was fighting for. This makes it all worthwhile.

"Ginny! Harry! You're all right!"

We broke apart to see Molly Weasley, frantic, coming towards us. She pulled Ginny into a tight hug, and when she released her, she met my eyes. "Thank you for protecting my baby."

I snorted. "It was the other way around, Molly. She was the one protecting me."

Ginny laughed, and I smiled down at her, happy to see her eyes sparkling once more. "Yeah, while he took out twelve Death Eaters on his own."

"Oh, well… come on back dears. We need to get you home safely. Hermione is worrying herself sick."

I grinned. "She's probably going to kill me for not letting her come and fight."

"Yes, she was rather angry with you."

We opened the door, and almost instantly I was assaulted by a bushy-haired missile. She hugged me tightly, and then pulled back and started pummelling my chest.

"Harry Potter! Don't do that again! You scared me half to death and now I can't even hit you properly because you keep on shocking me!"

"Hermione! We're just fine. Calm down."

She huffed and pulled back from me, crossing her arms tightly as she glared at me. "I can't believe you left me here and didn't let me help. You can't even use magic legally!"

"We didn't fight with spells. And you needed to stay here to protect the others. You know that Ron, Neville, and Luna can't use magic yet." She huffed. "And besides, I promised Dumbledore that I would protect you guys. I can't very well do that if I lead you into a fight, can I?"

She glared at me once more and stalked off to hug Ginny who was talking to Luna. I shook my head at her. She never did like getting left out of things.

"Are you okay, mate?"

Ron seemed to be looking me over carefully, checking for injuries.

"We're both fine. Not a scratch."

"Did you win?"

"Course. Took out twelve Death Eaters."

Ron and Neville grinned at me. "Get anyone good," Neville asked?

"Dolohov."

I heard a sharp gasp and turned to see Molly staring at me. "You got Dolohov?"

"Yes."

She burst into tears. "Thank you, Harry. Thank you for revenging my brothers."

I watched her helplessly, wishing I could comfort her, but knowing I couldn't touch her. Ron walked over and pulled his mother into his arms, allowing her to cry on his shoulder. Neville looked at them for a few minutes before turning to me again.

"You did a good thing, Harry." I nodded at him. "Maybe next time you can get Bellatrix."

"I would like nothing better, Neville. For both of us."

* * *

I groaned on Sunday morning as I entered the Great Hall to be met with hundreds of stares. I could hear whispers break out as I passed, and I lowered my head and tried to hurry to my seat. Hermione was sitting across from Ginny, reading the paper, and she looked up at me as I sat down.

"Might as well let me see it now, 'Mione." She nodded and pushed the paper across to me.

_Death Eaters Attack Diagon Alley, Harry Potter Kills Them All_

I cringed at the headline. Couldn't they have said it in a nicer way?

_Yesterday afternoon, Diagon Alley was attacked by twelve Death Eaters, including Antonin Dolohov who has twice escaped from Azkaban in the last year. Moments after the start of the attack, Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley, who were in the Alley shopping for their wedding, joined the fight. Witnesses say that the pair's first action was to send all the bystanders to safety. They pushed everyone into the various stores before placing shields of fire in front of the doors to protect those inside. The only other witness to what happened next was the Auror who was shopping with Potter and his bride, as the shields prevented anyone else from gaining access to the street. _

_It is said that Harry Potter single-handedly took out all of the Death Eaters by sending a lightning bolt through each of their hearts, thus ending their lives rather quickly. Many were appalled to hear of the Chosen One's actions, but lead Auror Michaels commented that he had been cleared of all guilt as it was largely done in self defence. There were several injuries among the bystanders in the Alley, many resulting from their forceful expulsion from the street via Mr. Potter, but all injured parties were quickly healed and sent home. There were no casualties on the light side._

_Mr. Potter's decisive actions mark a stark contrast from the methods of his mentor, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, however the Headmaster himself commented on yesterday's fight. "Harry did what he needed to ensure the safety of the people in Diagon Alley. He fights with a very different power than the rest of us, and it is generally lethal, but he still fights for the light." When asked about the safety of other Hogwarts students attending class with Mr. Potter, the Headmaster assured this reporter that he has been very clear with the students not to antagonise Mr. Potter or his fiancée, and the few instances of such were resolved before any serious damage occurred. _

_We at the Prophet can only hope that our hero continues to fight for the light, despite his rather unusual methods._

I grimaced as I put the paper down. "I guess it could have been worse, though I don't like the insinuations that I would harm anyone here."

Ginny smiled softly at me. "It is probably better that Dumbledore addressed it now. We wouldn't want all the parents to think their kids aren't safe."

"Professor McGonagall was down a few minutes ago, Harry." Hermione drew my attention. "She asked me to tell you that they are starting to screen your mail, in case anyone tries something because of this article."

I nodded. "That's probably a good idea."

"Don't want fingers full of undiluted bubotuber puss?" She asked with a smirk.

"Um… no, not really."

* * *

On the last Sunday in September, Ginny wanted to head home one last time to make sure everything was set for the wedding. I told her that there was no way I was staying back without her. She protested this, but I told her I would simply bring a book to read if she needed to do something without me. She shook her head at me, but let me follow along behind her without much complaint. Indeed, I spent much of the day in a chair by the fire, reading a defence book, while Ginny and her mother spoke in the kitchen. At some point in the afternoon, they both disappeared upstairs, and I assume they were making sure Ginny's dress was finished. After a marvellous dinner, I took Ginny back in my arms and took us back to our room at Hogwarts.

She sighed happily and sat down on our small couch. I sat beside her and pulled her into my side. "Did you get everything done today, love?"

She grinned up at me. "Yes. Everything should be ready. Mum and I even finished the invitations, so they should be mailed out tomorrow. And my dress is finished."

I smiled down at her. "And I can't wait to see you in it."

She placed her hand on my chest and giggled. "And here I thought you would be more interested in seeing me out of it."

"Well, there is always that." I picked her up in my arms and swung her around. "But who says I have to wait nearly two more weeks for that?"

Her hands wound up around my neck and she burrowed her fingers into my hair. "No one at all."

I dropped us both onto the bed and held her tightly to me. "Are we doing the right thing, Ginny?"

She pushed herself up on one elbow and looked down at me. "What do you mean?"

I sighed. "Everyone is making such a big fuss about us getting married, is it the right thing to do?"

Her small hand rubbed softly on my cheek. "Why are you letting what other people think make you doubt yourself?"

"I just… I don't like what people are saying about you. It makes me wonder if I am right to put you in such a position."

"People just don't understand, Harry. It's the same thing with the article after Diagon Alley. They castrate you for doing something you must, and don't understand your reasons. We know the truth, love. We know that we belong to each other, and, however we choose to show that, they cannot have anything worthwhile to say."

I placed my hand on her stomach. "And you don't care that most everyone thinks you are pregnant?"

"No love. Everyone that is important knows the truth, and everyone else will know soon enough."

I sighed and rolled over until I was hovering above her. "Do you know Ron actually questioned me about it the other day?"

Her eyes popped wide. "He didn't!"

I grinned wryly. "He actually asked me how sure I was about you not being pregnant. I think I spouted back something like 'pretty damn sure' and left it at that."

She giggled and pulled on my arms until I collapsed on top of her.

"Soon we will be married and no one can say anything about us."

* * *

On the first Saturday of October, six days before our wedding, I left Ginny at Hogwarts and met Remus at Grimmauld Place. It was time to plan for my honeymoon. The down side to being married in the middle of the school year was that we could only afford to be gone for two days, but I would take what I could get. I needed to get away with Ginny to some place where no one knew who we were.

Remus was waiting for me in the kitchen. He smiled when I came in, and pulled out a seat for me. "Have a seat Harry. Tell me how things are going."

I smiled as I sat down. "Good. I can't wait until next week." I looked down at the table and blushed slightly. "I can't wait until Ginny is my wife."

I looked up in time to see Remus grin at me. "You remind me of your father just before he married your mother. He was a nervous wreck for weeks before."

"And Mum?"

"Very little could ever make your mother lose her composure. She was amazing like that." He smiled softly to himself, then gave himself a small shake and looked back up at me. "So let's get your honeymoon planned. What did you have in mind?"

"Well we only have two days, but I want to be able to get away to somewhere where no one would know us."

Remus considered this carefully. "Then your best bet would be to travel somewhere quite far away, and in the Muggle world. I had an idea about that." He pulled a small pamphlet out of his pocket and slid it across to me.

Curious, I looked down to see that it contained information about a resort in a small British island called Montserrat. I opened the pamphlet to read about the resort. There was a large hotel with many rooms, and then there were also smaller private villas. Many of these had private beeches that were connected to them. I looked up at Remus, excited. "This looks marvellous."

Remus smiled. "I thought you would want privacy. There is no wizarding population on this island, and it is very warm at this time of year. If you rent one of these private villas, you should be very well set up."

I looked down at the map on the back of the pamphlet. "It does seem a very long way to go for only two days."

Remus smiled and slid a scroll of parchment across to me. I unrolled it to find a short note in Professor Dumbledore's handwriting.

_Harry, while I know you do not wish to interrupt either your own or Ginny's schooling, I feel that two days is not enough time to yourselves as a honeymoon. I have taken the liberty of clearing with your teachers an extended vacation. Consider it as my wedding gift to you. Please be back for school on the morning of Monday, the 21__st__ of October. _

I grinned up at Remus. "This is fantastic!"

"Yes, I thought you might appreciate it. I took the liberty of reserving a villa for you and Ginny for that time. I figured that you would approve."

"Thank you, Remus." I stared down at the pamphlet. "I can travel there, but it could be dangerous appearing in a Muggle area."

He nodded. "Perhaps if you were to wear your invisibility cloak to avoid any problems."

"That could work."

"Good. Now, as you are not used to such a warm climate, it is probably best for you to purchase some clothes for yourself and Ginny. I thought we might go shopping in London today."

I frowned. "Should I get Ginny?"

Remus chuckled at me. "Wouldn't that defeat the entire purpose of surprising her?"

"Yes, but how will I know what to get her?"

"I'm sure we can find a sales lady to help us decide." He winked at me. "Indeed, if we can just get you to flirt a bit they may be flocking to help us."

I stared at him in shock. "Remus!"

He laughed as he stood up and led me out of the house, and continued to tease me until we found ourselves in front of a rather large department store. I had never been in such a place before. Aunt Petunia would rather have died than to have been seen with me when she went shopping at a place like this. I followed Remus into the store, staring about and becoming quite intimidated. Remus steered us towards an area that seemed to house clothes for young women. There were several sales ladies about, but the youngest of them, a girl looking a little older than me, made her way quickly to us.

"May I help you gentlemen?" She was smiling oddly at me, and her hand came out as if to touch my arm, but I took a quick step back.

"Yes," Remus said with a slight chuckle. "My nephew here is about to get married and he is taking his new bride on a honeymoon to the Caribbean." The girl's face fell. "We need complete wardrobes for both of them for the week and a half they will be there." Her face perked right up again.

"Oh! That sounds wonderful. Why don't we worry about her clothes first, and then head over to the men's department?"

"Very well."

She turned to me. "What can you tell me about her? Do you know her size? What colours she likes?"

I looked to Remus, eyes wide. I didn't know Ginny's size. He smiled softly at me before answering. "She is quite petite, only just over five feet. She wears a size two generally speaking."

I had no idea how he knew this, but was grateful none the less. I could help with the rest. "She has bright red hair, and likes bright colours." I smiled. "I'm partial to her in red."

The girl look confused. "Redheads cannot wear red."

I grinned. "She can."

The girl shrugged before leading us about the store. She piled clothes in my waiting arms and was constantly holding them up for my approval. There were several that I rejected outright, and she seemed to be getting an idea for my tastes the longer we looked. At the end, she led us over to the swimsuit section. This caused me to blush profusely as I looked at the skimpy bikinis. The idea of seeing Ginny in them made me quite hot. The girl took pity on me and picked most of the selections herself.

Finally, when my face had been burning red for quite some time, she declared us done with Ginny's clothes and led me over to the men's department. This was much easier. I did not need much: swim trunks, several pairs of shorts, and light t-shirts. After several hours in the store, the girl led us to the checkout and we paid for all our things. She winked at me as we left and wished me the best of luck, and I looked away in embarrassment. I couldn't believe she was trying to flirt with me as I was shopping for my honeymoon.

As soon as we were out of the store, we ducked into an alley and Remus shrunk all the packages for me so that they would fit in my pocket. Then he smiled at me and sent me on my way.

The wind took me to an unused classroom of Hogwarts, where I pulled all the packages out and packed them carefully into a large suitcase we had bought. I would ask Ginny if there was anything specific she wanted me to pack for her before we left. Come to think of it, I might ask for Hermione's help as well. With our bag packed, I shrunk it back down and made my way back to Gryffindor tower. Ginny was sitting in the common room with our friends, working on her homework in an effort to get ahead before our wedding. I grinned as she looked up and met my eye. I winked at her and planted a kiss on her head before turning to Hermione.

"Hermione, could I talk to you for a minute?"

Ginny and Hermione both looked up at me, confused. I merely waited until Hermione rose and followed me. I led her out into the corridor and to the first empty room we came upon. She turned to me, curious, as I shut the door behind us and pulled the bag once more.

"Remus and I went shopping for the honeymoon today. I was wondering if you could make sure I have everything I need for her."

Hermione smiled at me and took the bag from my hand, opening it and going through the contents. "Harry, there is more here than you will need for two days."

I grinned. "I know. Dumbledore is letting us go for over a week. But I want to surprise her."

"Where are you taking her?"

"To a small resort in the Caribbean."

Hermione grinned. "Oh, she'll love that." Hermione pulled some of the clothes out and examined them. Occasionally, she used her wand to adjust the size slightly. When she got to the swimming suits, she grinned at me and set to work on them, and I turned away in embarrassment. Eventually, she put it all back in carefully. "This should work nicely, Harry. There are a few more things I think she'll want. How about I get those for you to pack for her?"

"Thank you, Hermione. I want to keep this a surprise."

"Of course, Harry. Now let's get you back to your fiancée."

* * *

A/N: Well, a little bit of action, and romance coming up soon. I think you can all guess what the next chapter is.

One comment I want to make: both Harry and Ginny are going to kill people in this story. Aside from the fact that this is war and they are generally fighting for their lives, they are both fighting with powers that are normally lethal. I sincerely hope no one is offended by that, but it really does have to be that way.

For those of you who read my other stories, I just finished Godric's Legacy and am starting to post a new Harry/Daphne story calld Harry Potter and the Siren's Song. This is vastly different from my others, and is much more mature. As for War Against Voldemort, it is undergoing intensive revisions and so new material will be postponed for awhile.


	9. Chapter 8: A Wizard and his Bride

It was Friday morning, and I was a nervous wreck. Because we were missing the entire next week of school, both Ginny and I were attending classes today, but it didn't stop me from worrying about tonight. Hermione had pouted when I put my foot down about the silly tradition of the groom not seeing the bride the day of the wedding. But really, we weren't getting married until tonight; there was no way I could go nearly an entire day without contact with Ginny. Plus, it would certainly cause suspicion among the students if we suddenly were avoiding each other. I knew that we wouldn't be able to keep our marriage a secret once it happened, but I was hoping no one found out about it until after the fact. There was always the fear that something could go wrong, and I didn't want the added worry of an attack, or, even worse, the press. Ginny, Hermione, and Luna were instructed to arrive at the Burrow immediately after their last class so that they could get ready. I, along with the rest of my friends, wouldn't be arriving until just before the regular dinner time.

It was just my luck that I had Potions today, which meant Slytherins. Not looking forward to it at all, I made my way reluctantly into the Potions lab. Knowing I would be absolutely rubbish at everything today, I let Hermione and Ron work together and worked on my potion on my own.

I wonder what Ginny's dress is going to look like? I know that Muggle brides traditionally get married in white, but Ginny despises white, and she had promised me there would be some red on her gown. My mind drifted as I imagined her in a fire red dress walking down an aisle towards me.

"Harry! You need to add the nettle needles before the spider legs!" Hermione hissed at me.

I looked down, startled, to see that I was indeed about to mess up my entire potion. With a grateful nod to her, I added the correct ingredients.

I hadn't told Ginny where we were going on our honeymoon, despite her relentless questions, nor had I mentioned that it was going to be longer than she expected. Last night I had told her that I had already packed her bag. That had caused quite a scene. She had shrieked at me for going through her personal belongings without permission and told me I couldn't possibly know what to pack. I smiled at the memory of her arms breaking out in angry flames. After she had calmed down a bit, I had explained that I hadn't really packed for her. I told her that Remus and I had went shopping and let the sales lady pick out things for her, and then said that I had Hermione check to make sure everything was right. Hermione had even handed me a small bag earlier that day to add to Ginny's things. Ginny had stared at me in confusion, processing this, while I had wondered about her reaction. She wasn't usually possessive about her things with me. Did she have something special she didn't want me to see? I assumed this was the case, as this morning she had handed me a small bag, told me to pack it and not open it under penalty of bat bogies.

I was scared to death of those bogies and had packed it without another word.

"Harry! Did you forget to stir three times after adding the green fluxweed?"

I looked down at my potion in confusion, noting that it was a strange violet colour instead of the pale blue it was supposed to be. I looked up at Hermione and shrugged. She rolled her eyes at me before returning to her own potion. Ron laughed and mouthed "whipped" at me. He had been remarkably nicer to me since the fight in Diagon Alley. I hoped this continued.

I wondered how things would change after Ginny and I got married. I don't remember there ever being a married couple at school while I had been here, though Dumbledore had assured me that we wouldn't be the first, or even the youngest. I hoped people wouldn't treat Ginny badly. For the past month she had gotten evil looks from many of the girls in school, and Ginny had told me that this was because they were jealous of her. I didn't really understand why. If people were jealous of anyone it should be of me. Ginny had patted my hand and told me I just didn't understand. Hopefully, once word got out that we were married, all those annoying people would leave us alone. I scowled as I thought of Dean Thomas. While he hadn't approached the two of us since Ginny set him in his place, he still stared at her hungrily every night. I really wished that he would leave us alone after this. It's not like he had a hope of getting her after tonight. Hermione had explained to me how, unlike in the Muggle world, there was no divorce among wizards. Some wizards chose to separate, but they could never dissolve their marriages. I thought this was odd, but it didn't bother me. I had no intention of ever giving Ginny up.

"Harry! NO!"

I looked up, confused, only to have my cauldron explode in my face. I blinked past the smoke and acrid smell. Without conscious thought, a steady stream of air cleaned the air around me and drove the foul smell out the door. When I looked up, Slughorn was staring at me in shock (probably because I had never messed up so badly in his class before), Hermione was shaking her head in pity (because she undoubtedly knew what I was thinking about), and half the class—Ron included—was on the floor laughing.

"Mr. Potter," Slughorn began after shaking himself slightly. "I think it is probably best if you get yourself cleaned up."

I nodded and trudged out of the classroom. I didn't want to be there anyway. I wind travelled back to our room, not wanting anyone else to see me looking as I did, and immediately headed into the shower to get cleaned up. I hope the rest of the day went by easier.

* * *

Things didn't get better. I screwed up the practical in every one of my classes today, and couldn't remember learning a thing. My last class of the day was Transfiguration, and Professor McGonagall took pity on me and told me to just sit and read in the back of the classroom. Of course, she was the only one of my teachers who knew what was going on. After class was over, Hermione bid me a hasty goodbye and ran off. Neville and Ron each took one of my arms and guided me back to the Common Room. They sat me down in a seat and left me to my own devices as they played a game of chess together.

So now I'm sitting here, staring into the fire, desperately missing Ginny and trying not to have a mild panic attack. What if something goes wrong tonight? What if the Minister finds another way to prevent our marriage? What if Rita Skeeter finds out and is able to sneak in? What if Voldemort learns of it and sends Death Eaters to attack? It would be the perfect target: Ginny, me, and Dumbledore all in one location and distracted with other things.

"Harry! Stop freaking out over there. Everything will be fine."

I look up and meet Neville's eyes, slightly shocked that my shy and quiet friend is reassuring me. "I can't help it. I'm a nervous wreck."

He smiled slightly. "We know. Our pieces keep on getting knocked over in the wind."

I looked around, startled, to discover that there was indeed a fairly brisk wind blowing around the common room. It seemed oddly empty, and the few people who remained glared at me as they struggled to hold their books open to the correct page. "Oh."

"Why don't you go relieve some of your nerves, mate." Ron was smirking at me.

I nodded dumbly. "Yeah. That sounds like a good idea."

I walked stiffly towards the window that overlooked the grounds, climbed up onto the ledge, and jumped out. There were several shrieks behind me, but the wind caught me almost immediately. A bit worried that I didn't presently have enough control to not damage the castle, I waited until I was over the centre of the lake, several hundred feet in the air, before letting go.

The wind swirled tightly around me, and the air was charged with electricity. The storm around me was magnificent, and the longer I let it go on the calmer I felt. I experimented with water spouts from the lake, creating patterns out of them and probably scaring the occupants of the lake. Eventually, the storm had calmed to a light rain and the sun was beginning to peak back through the clouds. With a deep sigh, I was back in the centre of the Common Room, dripping wet and with torn robes.

Ron broke out laughing at the sight of me, but I just glared at him and made my way up to my room to take a shower. It was almost time to head to the Burrow.

* * *

I was in Ron's room at the Burrow, pacing nervously. I had my robes on, and Molly had given up on my hair. Twenty minutes ago she had bustled out of the room to help Ginny, giving me strict instructions not to leave until someone came for me. A knock came at the door and I looked up as Tonks stuck her head in.

"Mind if we come in, Harry?"

I shook my head, and she stepped into the room, followed by Remus.

"How are you holding up?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I'm a wreck."

He chuckled at me. "Your dad was the same way on the day he married your mother. He kept on sending me to check to make sure that she hadn't come to her senses and run off." He came up and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Are you sure about this, Harry?"

"Oh, come on, Remus!" Tonks elbowed him out of the way. "Can't you see the boy is arse over elbow in love with her?" She turned to me and waggled her eyebrows. "You ready for tonight, Harry?"

I blushed and looked at the floor. "Of course, being with Ginny is amazing." As soon as the words were out of my mouth I realised what I had admitted to and I looked back up with large eyes to see Tonks bent over laughing and Remus staring at me in shock. "I mean… I'm sure it will be amazing… not that I would know, of course…"

Tonks straightened up and threw an arm around my shoulder. "No way out of it now, ducky. We both heard you. Seems you've already been getting your groove on."

Remus seemed to have recovered from his shock and shook his head at me. "And here I was all prepared to offer manly advice about tonight."

I flushed again. "That won't be necessary."

He laughed at me, and I scowled. Tonks hit us both across the back of our heads. "If you two are done being all awkward, it's time to go get Harry married."

My breathing started to pick up, and I could feel the wind around me. Tonks looked at me with sparkling eyes. She hooked her arm through my mine and started to lead me down the stairs. As we made our way outside, I looked around at the decorations that Molly and the girls had put up. The entire back garden was illuminated with twinkling lights. There were about twenty seats where our friends and family where already seated. Down the centre of the seats was a walkway that was scattered with rose petals leading to a large arch that was covered in flowers and vines. Standing under the arch was Professor Dumbledore. Tonks and Remus walked up with me to the front. Remus gave me a firm handshake, and then pulled me into a hug; Tonks patted my cheek and leaned up to place a kiss on it, then the two of them went and sat in the first row opposite Molly and the seat reserved for Arthur.

I took my place and tried my hardest to wait patiently. I could hear some kind of delicate music playing, but couldn't bring myself to pay enough attention to it to determine what it was or where it was coming from. All my attention was focused on the back door of the Burrow, waiting for the moment when Ginny would come out. My nerves were killing me, and so it came as no surprise when Professor Dumbledore leaned over to whisper to me. "Try and calm yourself, Harry, the wind is getting a bit high and she hasn't even come out yet."

I nodded, taking a deep breath and trying to force my emotions down. This proved impossible to do given the circumstances, so I settled for asking the wind to move a bit farther away. Figuring I needed an outlet for my nerves I set it to traversing around the edge of the Burrow, looking for any sign of an intruder.

I pulled my attention back to the door, and sucked in a deep breath as Luna stepped out of the door on Neville's arm. She was wearing her golden robes that matched the threading of Neville's vest. She beamed at me, and Neville gave me a wink as they walked down the aisle and took their places. I returned my attention back to the door and smiled as Hermione stepped through on Ron's arm. Ron was looking down at her in awe, and I had to suppress a chuckle. Hermione looked wonderful; her hair smoothed out and pulled back to fall in curls down her back. When she reached the front, Hermione went up on her toes and planted a kiss on my cheek, then took her place. Ron stood in front of me and offered his hand, a strange smile on his face. Then he moved to stand by my side.

Knowing that it was my Ginny's turn, my hands clenched at my sides, and I closed my eyes briefly to try and centre myself. I opened them back up in just enough time to see the door open for the third time. Suddenly, I couldn't breathe. Ginny was standing there, smiling happily on her father's arm. Her dress was cream coloured with gold and red accents. There was a gold band that crossed just above her chest, leaving her shoulders and arms bare. It was tight down to her stomach, where it flared out into a large skirt. All along the skirt were intricate red and gold flowers, and the bottom of the dress had a thick red band around it. I looked back up and met her shining eyes. She had left her hair free, and the wild curls fell around her shoulders, flames dancing in their depths.

I heard the music change, and around me the audience gasped as two small rivers of flames danced up either side of the aisle until they reached me. They wrapped around my body, infusing me with the feeling of Ginny, and I shut my eyes briefly in pure joy. I opened them back up to see Ginny and her dad start to walk down the aisle. I beamed at her as she got closer to me, and needing to release some of my excitement, I tried something new. Ginny was staring right at me, but she looked up as her mother let out an audible gasp. Framing our arch in the sky was a rainbow. Ginny returned her eyes to mine and smiled.

It seemed to take her ages to reach me, but when she finally did, Arthur turned to me. He held out his hand and shook mine. "Take care of my little girl, Harry."

I thought it was odd that so many people seemed to be touching me today. I knew I was still shocking them, and yet they didn't seem to mind. Huh. "Yes, sir."

He turned to Ginny, placed a kiss on her cheek, and took her hand to place it into mine before stepping back to sit next to his wife.

The moment Ginny's hand was placed into mine it felt like my entire body came alive. I always felt complete when I touched her for the first time after we had been separated awhile, but this was so much more. We stared at each other for I don't know how long until Professor Dumbledore gently cleared his throat, reminding us we needed to turn towards him.

He smiled brightly at the two of us, and started speaking. I didn't pay attention to his words. I was aware enough to say my part when he asked for it, and I was thrilled when Ginny whispered her quiet "I do," but most of the time during the ceremony was spent staring down into her eyes. She was so beautiful. When he pronounced us man and wife, and told me I could kiss my bride, I could feel something building inside of me. I pulled her to me and slipped my arms around her small waist, and lifted her up to kiss her.

Some small part of me knew that we must be completely encased in flames, as I could feel their wonderful heat around me, and I was fairly certain we were floating some distance above the ground, but none of this truly mattered. The only thing that mattered was the small slip of a girl in my arms and the glorious feelings that were coursing through me as we kissed.

* * *

Ron Weasley didn't know how he felt about his best mate marrying his fifteen year-old sister. He was perfectly aware that they were in love with each other; it was hard not to be. The way that Harry looked at Ginny left no doubt in anyone's mind that his entire existence was tied up in her. In fact, Ron had been shocked by the changes in Harry since this summer. It seemed like everything that used to be important to him took a backseat to Ginny. The boy who until this summer shied away from any type of physical contact now craved it as absolutely necessary. But that was nothing compared to how Ginny had changed. It was subtle at first, and Ron hadn't noticed for a few days, but when he did it had shocked him completely.

Ginny had always been a very independent person. He remembered when they were kids and he had always been tasked with taking care of her; Ginny had never liked that. If she thought you were trying to baby her she would make your life hell—he knew this from personal experience. She wouldn't let anyone take care of her, and adamantly maintained that she was perfectly capable of doing so herself. Ron was convinced that this was why her first year was so hard on her. To have someone forcibly take control of you would be hard on anyone, but it was much worse on the fiercely independent Ginny. It had taken nearly two years for her fire to return, but it had, and Ron had been happy to see it.

Ron knew that Ginny had been in love with Harry for years. Or, at least, he knew she had a crush on him. It didn't really ever dawn on him that maybe she really did love Harry, instead of the Boy-Who-Lived. But he had been fairly confident that Harry hadn't felt the same way about her, until he saw the way things changed this summer, and then he began to doubt his assumption. He supposed it was possible that it was all as a result of their mysterious bond, but it didn't seem that way.

Ron had never been as shocked as when Harry appeared at the Burrow, completely helpless, over his baby sister. And then, to make matters even more unusual, the fiercely independent Ginny had given up nearly all of her privacy and freedom to take care of Harry, and done so without complaint. Ron put it down to the newness of their situation, and moved on. But when school started it was just the same. He knew that Harry would get sick if he didn't touch Ginny fairly regularly, but what amazed him was that Ginny was so accommodating of that fact. She went out of her way to make sure that Harry was never in pain.

Ron soon came to realise that while Harry may have a strong physical need to be near Ginny, Ginny seemed to have an equally strong emotional need to help him and support him. Coming from a girl that had often loudly proclaimed her distaste for women who gave up their careers and ambitions for their husbands, this new attitude was astounding.

And so it was that he found himself standing as best man at their wedding. At first he had been suspicious of their need to marry so soon, but Hermione had sat down with him and talked things through, and it was starting to make more sense. They needed each other in ways he couldn't even begin to understand. Of course, that didn't stop him from being upset whenever he thought about the two of them engaging in… _marital relations_. But it had only taken one look at his sister's radiant face this evening for him to understand just how happy she was, and so he had taken Hermione's arm and walked her down the aisle so they could witness as two of the most important people in his life were joined together.

Ron had to fight not to chuckle during the ceremony. He honestly didn't think Harry had heard a word that Dumbledore had said. Instead, his best mate had spent the entire time staring down at Ginny in awe. Ron had grumbled to himself as Dumbledore gave Harry permission to kiss her. He never did like seeing them kiss. But when Harry reached for her and wrapped her in his arms, he took a step back in awe. This was much more than a kiss.

It wasn't unusual for Harry and Ginny to float when they kissed, or for small streams of fire to run around them. Ron had seen this happen enough in the past few months that it no longer shocked him. Much. This was completely different. Ron couldn't even see them anymore, as they were spiralling up into the air surrounded by a twisting whirlwind of fire. As Ron stared up at them, he came to realise that maybe some things were just meant to be, no matter how uncomfortable they made him.

* * *

I don't know how long I kissed my new wife before I became aware that there were a lot of people waiting for us and we should probably get down there and celebrate with them. Not that I wanted to, mind you. I pulled back from Ginny's mouth and cupped her face in my hands. She looked radiant.

"I think we got a bit carried away, love."

She giggled. "But it was so much fun!"

"I know, but we probably need to get back down there."

She pouted at me. "If you insist." Her hand fisted in the collar of my vest and pulled me down to her again. "Just one last kiss to tide me over until tonight."

I was all too happy to oblige, but I managed to keep my head about me so that we didn't get lost in each other again. With great reluctance, I slowly brought us back to the ground as Ginny restrained her fire. Neither of us could completely contain our joy, however, and there was still a healthy breeze playing around us and fire dancing in her hair as we turned to look at our friends and family. They all had rather amused looks on their faces, and I shrugged. I couldn't help it. I caught Remus' eye first, and he was struggling to contain his laughter; Tonks didn't have the same success at his side.

An amused chuckle came from behind us, and Dumbledore announced, "May I present Mr. and Mrs. Harry James Potter."

The small audience cheered, and I swore the twins were catcalling. I beamed down at Ginny and offered her my arm. "Shall we, love."

Her tiny hand snaked into the crook of my arm as she smiled. "Yes, Harry."

I led her down the aisle, meeting the eyes of my new family as we passed. Ron was shaking his head and rolling his eyes. The twins were still pretending to catcall and cheer us on. Molly and Arthur were looking at us with strange expressions: Arthur looked like he couldn't decide whether to be happy or sad and Molly had tears running down her face as she beamed at us. Charlie was smiling at us softly, and when he caught my eye he waggled his eyebrows up and down, causing me to blush. Bill was staring at Ginny, and I couldn't really blame him; she was beautiful today. I imagine it was hard for him to see his baby sister grow up. Just before we reached the house I was shocked to lock eyes with Percy. I hadn't realised he had even consented to come; truthfully, I hadn't even known he had been invited. His mouth was pursued tightly, and his eyes were narrowed at us, but he gave me a curt nod in greeting; I figured that was as good as it was going to get.

The next two hours passed in a strange blur that made me very glad Ginny and I had requested a simple wedding; this was crazy enough for me. Molly had cooked a feast, and despite the fact that both Ginny and I only picked at it, it tasted marvellous. Dinner was a loud and raucous affair, and nearly everyone took the opportunity to stand up and embarrass us in some way before toasting our happiness. That seemed a strange tradition to me. The bizarre little photographer we hired was constantly hovering around, and he frequently demanded that Ginny and I come with him for a seemingly endless series of pictures. I knew they were important to Ginny, so I smiled and nodded and didn't say a thing. There was a table off to the side that was piled high with presents, and I lost count of how many times Molly had caught Ron and the twins trying to open or do something to them. More music had been piped in for a handful of dances, and Tonks took great joy in pretending to act the part of the mother of the groom.

I knew this night was important to our family, but the longer I sat there the more impatient I got. All I wanted to do was get out of here. I kept pulling Ginny closer and closer to me, and as we sat at the table my hand that had started on her knee was moving dangerously high the longer we sat there. At about 11 at night, I had had enough. Leaning down to Ginny, I whispered, "_Please_, can we get out of here?"

She looked up at me and smiled gently. "Yes, love. Let me just say goodbye to my parents and then we can leave."

I smiled gratefully at her and stood up, offering her my hand. We made our way over to Molly and Arthur, who were sitting with Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Hagrid, and chatting away. To my great amusement, I saw that Molly looked slightly tipsy.

"Mum, Dad, Harry and I are going to head out now."

Molly looked up at us. "Oh! Are you sure dear?"

Ginny nodded. "I think we're both a little tired and needing to get away."

Molly's smile took on a knowing quality that made me slightly nervous. "Alright, dear." She stood up and gave me a bone-crushing hug. "Take care of my baby, Harry."

"I will, Molly."

She patted my cheek. "I know you will. You're a good lad." She let me go and turned to her daughter. They hugged for an inordinately long amount of time, and Molly whispered something that I couldn't hear in Ginny's ear, causing her to burst out into giggles and nod her head.

"Harry." I turned to Arthur and shook his offered hand. "All the arrangements are made for you two?"

"Yes, sir. Remus knows how to get a hold of us if you need anything."

He nodded. "Take good care of my princess."

"Yes, sir."

Molly finally released Ginny, and Ginny turned to hug her father. Then she stepped back and took my hand. "We'll be back on…"

I interrupted her. "We'll be back." Arthur gave me a knowing look and Molly winked at me. Ginny turned her head and looked at me curiously, but I just smiled at her. "Let me go get our things and then we'll leave."

I left her side and walked quickly to the house. Our bag was packed and already shrunk and hidden in my pocket, but I didn't want anyone to know that. Knowing Fred and George, I had conjured a dummy bag which was currently sitting in the kitchen. I didn't trust them not to try anything. As I walked into the kitchen, I was met with the sight of all six Weasley brothers waiting for me.

"Gentlemen."

"Harry." Bill seemed to be the spokesperson; Percy was hiding in the corner and Ron was looking at me with a slightly amused expression as if he was only here because he had to be. "We'd like a quick word with you before you leave."

"Yes?"

"Ron assures us that your intentions towards Ginny are honourable, and we believe him." He shot a glare towards Percy. "Mostly. But she's still our baby sister, our _fifteen year-old_ baby sister, so we just want to make some things clear." I looked at him calmly, waiting for him to go on. "You ever hurt her, and, I don't care how much power you have, we will kill you."

I nodded my head in acknowledgement. "Of course."

Charlie stepped up to stand by Bill. "And you had better treat her like the princess she is, Potter. She deserves the best."

I met his eyes head on. "Always."

I turned to see if Percy had anything to say, but he was still sulking in the corner, so I moved my gaze to the twins. They were grinning at me, and Fred handed over the bag I had left in the kitchen. "We may have… added a few surprises for the two of you."

George grinned evilly. "Yes, some of the things you had packed for our baby sister to wear seemed highly inappropriate, so we may have stepped in to insure her modesty."

I smirked at them, took the bag, and threw it directly into the fire, where it burst into flames and quickly vanished.

"Oi!" Fred yelled.

"What did you do that for?" George asked.

"Did you really think I would leave our luggage where you two miscreants could get to it?"

They stared at me for several seconds then burst into identical grins. "Good one, Harry!" They said together.

I turned my head to look at Ron. "Did you have something to say as well?"

He grinned at me. "Nah, I'm good. Just make sure to get back on time. Hermione will have your head if you miss any classes."

I grinned. "Actually, we won't be back for a week, but Hermione already knows. She helped me pack." Ron's jaw dropped open. "This had been lovely, gentlemen, but I have a bride to get back to."

I turned and headed out the door, leaving six Weasleys staring at my back. Still smirking, I walked over to Ginny's side. I wrapped my arms tightly around her waist and leaned down to plant a kiss on her neck before asking, "Are you ready to go?"

She turned her head slightly to meet my eyes. "Always."

I took off my robe, as it would look out of place in the Muggle world, pulled my cloak out of my pocket and wrapped it around both of us, and with a whisper of wind we were gone.

It was a good thing we had worn the cloak. We arrived in a busy lobby, surrounded by Muggles. I pulled her quickly over to a dark corner and hastily folded the cloak up before pulling out our luggage, which Remus had charmed to expand back to its original size once I removed it from my pocket. Then I took her hand and led her back out to the large desk where we could check in.

"Hello!" The exotic looking girl behind the counter greeted us. Her eyes grew large as she looked at me, and her smile grew. "May I help you, sir?"

"Yes. We're here to check in. My name is Harry Potter."

She beamed at me before turning her attention to the computer screen in front of her. She clicked on it a few times. "Yes. Mr. and Mrs. Potter for one of our private villas, here through the 20th of October."

"Harry!"

I turned and grinned down at Ginny. "Surprise!"

"But… how…"

"Dumbledore's wedding gift."

She beamed happily, and threaded her hands in my hair to pull me down for a kiss. I rather reluctantly pulled back when I heard the girl in front of us clear her throat.

"If you would just sign here, Mr. Potter, everything else has already been taken care of."

She slid a sheet of paper and a pen over to me, which I quickly signed. Remus had arranged for a Muggle credit card for me for our trip, and I had already charged the room. She took the paper back and handed me two small electronic key cards and a map.

"Here are your keys. The resort is quite large, and we offer many different activities that you might be interested in. There is an information booklet in your room." She opened the map and pointed to it. "Your villa is right here. The beach attached is private, and as it is enclosed in a private cove you should be undisturbed there. It is not visible from the open sea." Ginny giggled by my side, and the girl winked at her. "Please let us know if there is anything at all we can do to make your stay here more enjoyable." She smiled at us. "I understand you are here on your honeymoon?"

"Yes."

"We offer our congratulations. We have provided a few complimentary details in your villa this evening to help you enjoy your stay."

I thanked her and picked our bag back up, leading Ginny out of the room. Once we were outside, she snuggled into my side. "Harry, this is marvellous. Thank you."

I grinned down at her. "It was Remus' idea. He knew we would want to be somewhere where no one would recognize us. This is an all Muggle island, and far enough away that we should be fine. Our villa has everything we should need for the next nine days, but there are also several things to do around the island if you want. Hermione made sure I had things packed to cover whatever you would like to do."

Ginny giggled softly. "You'll have to tell me all about it tomorrow. Tonight, I have plans for you, Mr. Potter."

"As you wish, Mrs. Potter."

Our villa was a small building painted a light green. I could hear the ocean, but the view was blocked by a large hedge; I smiled to myself at this as it meant we might be able to act out some of my best fantasies on our private beach. I opened the door and set the bag down in the hall inside, then turned and scooped Ginny up into my arms. "Muggles have a tradition where the groom carries the bride across the threshold."

She giggled again. "As long as you're carrying me to the bedroom."

"Don't you want the grand tour?"

"Tomorrow."

"Yes, dear."

* * *

Ginny had declared that clothes were highly overrated, and had burned them off of me whenever I tried to put them on in the last two days. I had laughed but indulged her, as I highly enjoyed the sight of her in a similar state of undress. We hadn't left the villa since we got here on Friday night, but we had by no means been lacking in things to entertain ourselves with. When I opened my eyes this morning, Monday, I decided we should probably get out and do something. While Ginny was asleep, I examined the book outlining all the various things to do on the island; I picked up the phone and spoke with the woman at the hotel front desk, and she said she would have everything arranged for me in an hour. Grinning, I headed over to our largely ignored suitcase and dug through it. Ginny was probably going to kill me for this, but I picked out her skimpiest bikini—a lovely red number—and a white sundress to go with it, then I headed over to the bed and sat by her side.

My fingers trailed along her neck as I whispered, "Ginny, wake up, love." She let out an exasperated noise and turned away from me, revealing the glorious curve of her spine. "We have to leave soon, love."

"I don't want to. Get back in bed."

I chuckled. "While that is a tempting prospect, I want to take you out today."

She groaned and turned back over so she could see me. "And why do you want to do something like that?"

"Because we are in a beautiful place and I want you to be able to experience it." I leaned down and kissed her for several long minutes before pulling back and standing up. With a grin, I held out her clothes; she eyed them and then turned her questioning gaze on me. "Put these on, then we'll grab breakfast before heading out."

She groaned, but sat up. Mumbling under her breath, she crawled out of bed and sauntered over to the loo, throwing me a look over her shoulder. "You should be so grateful I love you right now, Potter."

I smiled at her teasing, and then turned to find my own clothes and pull them on. The hostess had told me to wear a swim suit and light shirt, so I threw on a pair of green board shorts and a thin, button-up beige shirt. I dug out sandals for Ginny and I, and sat to wait for her.

She emerged from the loo ten minutes later, looking radiant in her light dress, which was see-through enough for me to make out the shape of the red bikini underneath. Her hair was flowing freely down her back in glorious curls. Smiling at her, I rose and went to her side. "You look marvellous."

She grinned up at me. "Is there a particular reason you wanted me to wear this today?"

I smirked. "I like you in red."

She laughed. "Yes, but you realize we are going out and so others will see me in it as well?"

I frowned at this. "Maybe you should keep your dress on all day."

"Not a chance."

I groaned. "Fine. Let them look; I get to take you home with me."

Her hands crept up my chest to my shoulders and she pulled herself up to whisper against my lips, "Yes, you do." She closed the small distance between us and kissed me.

With supreme effort, I pulled her away from me. "We're going to be late." She pouted at me. "I promise to make it up to you later. I held out my hand and produced a small vial of bright blue liquid.

"What's this?"

"The sun is really strong here, and both of us are fair-skinned. Since we can't legally use magic yet to perform a sun block charm, Madam Pomfrey gave me a potion instead. It should last all day."

She nodded and downed it quickly. "So what are we up to today?"

"We're going on a small day cruise around the island."

She beamed. "That sounds marvellous."

I grinned and offered her my hand. "Let's go. We have just enough time to eat something quick at the hotel before the trip leaves."

The walk up to the main hotel didn't take long, and we grabbed a quick breakfast in their main dining room, and then headed out to the dock where a small boat was waiting for us. The cruise I had booked for us was relatively small; there were only twenty guests and the crew on board. Soon we were out in the open water, and I was standing behind Ginny, my arms wrapped tightly around her waist, as she leaned against the rail and oohed and ahhed over the beautiful scenery. The morning was spent in this manner, simply enjoying the beauty around us.

Lunch was served on deck, and Ginny and I talked with an elderly couple who were on holiday here from some town in America called Madison. They told us how they had got sick of the cold weather in their home town and so were enjoying a short vacation. Lunch was over and I was laughing at one of their stories when I glanced over and noticed that Ginny's hair was starting to spark. Alarmed, I leaned over to her.

"You're starting to flame. Is everything all right, love?"

Her eyes closed briefly until the small flames died out, then she met my eyes. "Sorry, Harry. I'm just getting a little annoyed with some of the girls on this ship."

I frowned, confused. "Why?"

She raised one delicate eyebrow. "You haven't noticed the three giggling girls over there that have been ogling you all day?"

"No, love, just like you didn't notice the man behind you who has been trying to stare a hole in your dress."

She giggled. "Maybe it's time we show them just how in love we are?"

I grinned. "I like this idea. What did you have in mind?"

She turned and thanked the American couple, then took my hand and led me over to a lounge chair that was facing out over the open water. Her small hands went to the buttons of my shirt and undid them one by one before pushing it off my shoulders. She pointed to the chair and told me to sit, and then my mouth dropped open as she slowly pulled the dress over her head.

I nearly swallowed my tongue. "Gin…" I groaned. The bikini that had made me blush in the store looked sinfully delicious on her body, and I wanted nothing more than to tear it off of her.

She smirked down at me, then sauntered over and arranged herself across my lap. "You haven't kissed me in hours, Mr. Potter."

My fingers dug into her long hair and I pulled her closer. "What a horrible oversight. I'll rectify that immediately, Mrs. Potter."

I kissed her until I heard a quiet giggle next to me, and grudgingly pulled back. I turned to see the youngest member of our trip, a small girl that looked about ten, smiling widely at us and trying to hide her giggles behind her hand. I smiled at her. "Hello, there. I'm Harry and this is my wife, Ginny; what's your name?"

She giggled again. "I'm Emily." Her eyes darted between the two of us. "Did you just get married?"

Ginny smiled at her. "Yes, Emily, we did. Would you like to see my ring?" Emily nodded excitedly, and Ginny held out her left hand to showcase her trio of rings.

"Why do you have three?" Emily asked as she examined them closely.

"Because two just wasn't enough," I said. "I love her too much to be like everybody else."

"Oh!" Her eyes went wide as she looked at us. "Are you from England?"

"Yes. Where are you from, Emily?" Ginny asked.

"I'm from California."

"Well it's very nice to meet you, Emily."

Emily giggled and turned to run back to her parents; I watched her go. I turned back to see Ginny looking at me with a tender expression on her face.

"She was very cute."

I grinned. "Yes." I leaned in and nuzzled her neck. "But our little girls will be much cuter."

"And just how many little girls are you expecting me to produce?"

"As many as you'll give me."

"You do realize I'm probably doomed to only have boys. I am a Weasley, after all."

"No, you're a Potter. And that just means we'll have to keep trying."

Ginny's response was lost as a shout went up from the other side of the ship. "Dolphins!" Ginny's eyes went wide and she hopped off of me, pulling me along behind her as she hurried over to see.

We spent the rest of the afternoon watching the dolphins play around the boat. Ginny was fascinated by them, and I was fascinated by watching her; as far as I was concerned it was an ideal situation. When the boat docked back at the hotel, Ginny and I said goodbye to the other travellers; I was done sharing her for the day.

It was a beautiful evening, so I suggested a swim in the ocean. She smiled at me and agreed, but I was sure she knew I had ulterior motives. Those motives showed up about twenty minutes after we had gotten in the water, when I pulled her roughly to me and attacked her mouth with mine.

* * *

It was early Tuesday morning, and until thirty seconds ago I had been blissfully asleep. Instead, I was now blinking groggily up at a large silver wolf that reminded me distinctly of Moony the one time I had seen him transformed, and the wolf was shouting at me in Tonks' voice. Something about a hurricane? Before I was even fully awake, the wolf had dissipated and I was left staring up at the place it had been in shock. What in the world was going on? Tonks wouldn't have tried to contact us here if it wasn't an emergency, that much I knew, but I had missed whatever it was she was trying to tell me. Groaning in frustration, I began to shake Ginny awake.

"Harry? What is it?"

"Something's wrong, Ginny."

Her large brown eyes blinked in shock for a few seconds, and then she sat up. "What's wrong?"

"Tonks sent me a Patronus message, but I was half asleep and didn't understand what she was trying to tell me." I pulled my hand through my hair in frustration. "You know she wouldn't have contacted us unless it was important, I think I'm going to have to go see what she needs."

Ginny stared at me for several moments, and then her expression hardened. "No. If you go back, they're just going to end up keeping you there to fix whatever the hell is going on. It's our _honeymoon_, and they can leave us be."

"But what if it is important?"

She growled in frustration and anger, and her hair sparked to life. "Are you sure we can't use magic here?"

"Yes. The location based tracker probably won't work, but there is still a tracker active on both of our wands, Remus said. It would be sending a message directly to the Ministry telling them where we are."

"So a Patronus is out. Is there any other way we can contact them? Do you think there are any wild owls here?"

"I doubt it, and that would probably take too long, anyway. I really should just go myself. You know I can come right back."

Her eyes flashed at me, and the flames in her hair leapt higher. "No! We're just going to have to find some other way to communicate with them."

A small flame materialized in the air in front of her, and I gasped in shock when it died down. Sitting there was a small, red salamander. Ginny and I both stared at it as it bowed its small head to Ginny.

"What does Mistress wish to say?"

My mouth was hanging open in shock, and Ginny didn't look much better. "What?" She asked.

"Mistress wishes to send a message to Tonks. What does Mistress wish me to say?"

"You can… you can go to her with a message?"

"Yes, Mistress, 'tis the job of an elemental."

"Um… could you ask her what is wrong, please? We missed her earlier message."

The small salamander bowed its head once more and disappeared in a flash of flames, leaving both of us staring at the space it had occupied. Finally, I managed to get my voice to work. "Um… did I just see what I think I did?"

"You mean the small salamander that appeared and is taking a message to Tonks for me?" I nodded dumbly. "Then yes, you did."

"Just checking."

"Do you think you have one, as well?"

I shrugged. "Worth a try." I pulled up the familiar calm in my mind and politely asked the wind if I could be able to send a message as well. The small figure that appeared in front of me made Ginny gasp in shock. It was hard to see, as it seemed to be made of condensed wind that kept on flowing in different directions, but it most closely resembled a small blue fairy.

"Master." A feminine voice echoed slightly as it bowed its small head.

"Um… hello. What exactly are you, if you don't mind me asking?"

Its laugh seemed to ring and reverberate around the room. "I am a sylph, a wind elemental."

"Oh, thanks."

A small flame appeared in front of Ginny once more and the salamander returned. "Tonks wishes to warn you that a large tropical storm is heading your way this week, and that it is possibly you are going to be hit by a hurricane." With a final nod, the salamander disappeared in a flash of fire.

My eyes went wide. A hurricane, on our honeymoon. This was just my luck.

"Harry?" Ginny's voice sounded tentative. "A hurricane is just a really big storm, right?"

"Yeah."

"Could you… do you think you could…" her voice trailed off, but I caught the direction of her thoughts.

"I don't know… it's possible." I considered this idea for several minutes. I had seen television coverage of hurricanes before; they were huge. I didn't know if I would be capable of stopping it completely. I probably could, but I was fairly sure it would exhaust me. I knew it was fairly selfish, but I was on my honeymoon and didn't want that disturbed. "I think I might be able to redirect it around us, maybe even calm it down some." I turned to the sylph once more. "Can you please ask Tonks where the centre is currently located?"

She bowed her head and disappeared. I turned back to Ginny. "Are you sure?" she asked tentatively.

"No. But I will not cut our honeymoon short because of a storm."

She nodded before crawling into my lap, wrapping her arms around my waist. We waited for the sylph, who returned some minutes later.

"Tonks says it is currently off the coast of Central America, near Belize. It is expected to head this way in the next day or two."

"Thank you." She bowed and disappeared. "Right. Let's get dressed and deal with this thing."

"You want me to come with you?"

"Of course. I'm stronger with you there."

We dressed quickly, and I grabbed a quick bite to eat. I knew this would probably be draining. Wrapping my arms tightly around Ginny, I shut my eyes and asked to be taken to the centre of the storm.

The noise was deafening. I couldn't see a thing, just feel the wind beating around us at such high speeds it was truly frightening. Since this summer, I had never once been frightened by the wind, but this was different. Ginny's small arms held me tight, and she looked up at me with love in her eyes. Gathering as much strength as I could, I threw out my hands and slowly started to reach out into the storm.

I tried pulling as much of it as I could into myself and calming it down. That stopped working eventually and some part of my brain was aware that I had been at it for hours. My next step was trying to reach for it all and condense it down so it wouldn't cause as much damage. Again, I was vaguely aware of the passage of time, but I continued to fight it. It was when the sky started to darken around me that I became aware of the fact that I was nearing complete exhaustion. I had no doubt that I could control this storm, eventually, but I knew that to do so it would take everything I had. And I, somewhat selfishly, was not willing to do that right now. It was my honeymoon, _dammit_, and I would not spend the rest of it recovering from this.

With a growl, the wind took Ginny and I away, and we reappeared on the southern edge of the storm. Ginny was confused, but when I didn't answer her questions she simply held on to me and let me be. I pulled up as much wind as I could, trying to steal some from the storm before me, and with an almighty effort I shoved with everything I had. Slowly, the storm began to move off its current course. I was unwilling to put forth the effort to completely calm the storm, but there was no question that I was willing to move it away from its collision course with Ginny and mine's little island get away. Steeling myself, I pushed harder.

* * *

A/N: The storm was real, though I slightly modified the location. I wanted to show that Harry is not all powerful. There are things that are beyond him.

I have had several comments about elementals vs. Elementalists. Whether or not this is the way most people do it, I use both to mean something very different. Harry and Ginny are the latter because they can manipulate the elements. As we learn in this chapter, in my story elementals are the creatures they can summon to do their bidding.

This chapter hopefully answers the question as to what Ginny's need is. To clarify, Harry has a strong physical need to be in contact with Ginny and protect her and claim her. Ginny has a strong emotional need to support him and help him. This is what helped her accept his rather strenuous demands on her and such. It is much subtler, but equally as strong.

Next chapter we get back to trying and win the war. We do have these nasty Horcruxes to deal with.

Now, a sad opinion question: A war is not a war unless someone dies. So now I have to decide who it is in this story. Any suggestions?


	10. Chapter 9: Pieces of Eight

Lying in our bed, I looked up at my wife, _my wife_, and marvelled at the slight golden hue her skin had taken on in the last week. She was sitting in front of the mirror, pulling small portions of her hair up and pinning them so they wouldn't fall into her face, and I was staying here on the bed and staring at her like a sap. But I couldn't really help it. It was Monday morning, and we were due in the Great Hall in ten minutes. I was not looking forward to it. I had no doubt that the entire school was curious about our week long absence, and that the rumours were running rampant, but I hoped word hadn't leaked out yet. I also very much hope no one here was following weather patterns in the Caribbean.

Not wanting to be bedridden for the rest of my honeymoon, I hadn't managed to actually stop hurricane Lili, but I had succeeded in downgrading it to a tropical storm, restricting its size, and changing its course. I decided not to feel guilty about this; if people didn't want a hurricane to hit them they would live somewhere else. However, I was worried what would happen if this information were to get out.

Ginny turned to me and smiled softly. "You ready, love?"

With a sigh, I sat up. "If we must."

I offered her a hand and picked up our bags with the other. Maybe no one would notice my wedding ring immediately, though I was pretty sure this was wishful thinking. However, I refused to take it off or hide it, as if I was ashamed. We walked down the halls, and Ginny kept laughing at me for dragging my feet, but there was no putting off the inevitable. We stopped in front of the doors to the Great Hall, and I took a deep breath before pushing them open and walking in.

The Hall went quiet almost instantly as every head turned in our direction. Trying not to look at anyone, we made our way to the end of the Gryffindor table where Hermione was sitting next to Ron. As we got closer, Hermione bounced up and made her way to us. She wrapped her arms around my neck and whispered, "Welcome back." Then she released me and engulfed Ginny in a similar hug.

I looked up and met Ron's gaze, breathing a sigh of relief when he smiled at me. "Welcome back, mate. How was it?"

I looked at him. "Do you really want me to answer that question?"

He shook his head as his eyes widened slightly when he realised what he had asked. "Uh… not really. How was the island?"

"It was beautiful." Ginny answered. "I hope we can go back some time soon." I smiled down at her; I wanted the exact same thing, and was determined to make it an often repeated trip. Maybe I could afford to buy us a small beach house so we could visit whenever we wanted. That would be nice.

"You look very good, Ginny. I'm surprised you got so much sun." Hermione was examining her critically.

Ginny blushed lightly. "We had our own little beach. We spent most days near the water."

I helped Ginny into her seat, and then started loading up my plate while the girls talked about the island. I was surprised by how _giggly_ Hermione seemed to be, and, judging by the look of shock on Ron's face, he was thinking the same thing. I didn't know she even _cared_ about suntans and fashion and... well things I always associated more with Lavender and Parvati than Hermione. Shrugging, I left them to it and concentrated on my food. Ron caught me up on the news we had missed, which admittedly wasn't much, and Neville came over to join our conversation. Breakfast passed without anyone seeming to notice the ring on my finger, or the new ones present on Ginny's hand, for which I was grateful. I knew it would get out, but I was kind of hoping it would take awhile. When the girls had paused their gossiping enough to manage to eat, the five of us got up and started to head to the door.

I should have known it was too good to last. "Mr. and Mrs. Potter," came McGonagall's voice, and I cringed as shocked gasps erupted around us. "If you would come see me this afternoon, I have the work you missed this week."

I turned and glared at her. Unsurprisingly, it didn't seem to faze her. "Certainly, Professor." Why couldn't she have just told us this privately instead of announcing to the entire hall that we were married?

"My congratulations again on your wedding." I cringed again as there were several loud crashes throughout the hall as various things were knocked over or dropped. I was trying to ignore the fact that most of the occupants of the room seemed to be straining to get a good look at us.

"Thank you, Professor," Ginny said. Her small hand wrapped around mine and she squeezed hard. She had to know what I was thinking. With a brief nod at McGonagall, Ginny started tugging me to the door.

I tried my best to ignore the whispers that erupted around us.

Once in the hall, Ginny wrapped her arms around my waist and laid her head against my chest. "It doesn't matter what any of them think, Harry."

"I know. I just wish they wouldn't talk about me all the time. People treat me like my life is public property." I grumbled unhappily. "If I actually _liked _ the attention don't you think I would be walking around like the Ferret?"

She shuddered theatrically before smiling cheekily. "I'm glad you show no resemblance to haim whatsoever. It just shows what they know. You're life is mine."

I hummed happily and leaned down to trace my nose over her face. "Yes, it is, Mrs. Potter."

She giggled and pushed herself up to kiss me. And instantly I was reminded exactly _why_ I was braving the ridicule of the world: Ginny was my everything and now everyone knew that fact. I could deal with everything else with her by my side.

* * *

_The Chosen One Wed Secretly_

_We have just learned that Harry Potter was married over a week ago in a small private ceremony. The Potters then disappeared from school for the following week, one can assume on their honeymoon. It is not known why they chose to rush the wedding, though rumours of an unplanned pregnancy have been circulating. But given Mr. Potter's current place as the most wanted person on He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's hit list, one would assume that if such rumours were true then Mrs. Potter would not have returned to school, or have fought in the Battle of Diagon Alley several weeks ago. _

_This hurried wedding is just another in a series of unusual occurrences surrounding Mr. Potter and his young bride. _

_The wizarding public is mourning the loss of their most eligible bachelor before he even became old enough to earn the title, but this writer wishes them luck in their life together. Given his history, they are probably going to need it._

I laughed as I finished reading the article. Finally, a member of the press who seemed to actually have a brain. It was refreshing. I hoped that this might help silence some of the rumours that I'm sure were currently running rampant, but I knew that was unlikely to be the case. And I kind of understood, as the wizarding world had no context to understand my recent actions. I wondered how long people would be staring at Ginny's stomach in curiosity.

Ginny slid into the seat next to me, and I looked up from the paper and leaned in to give her a quick kiss.

She saw the paper and sighed. "What did they say this time?"

"It actually wasn't that bad. The reporter was smart enough to realize that if you were pregnant I would have you hidden somewhere for your protection. Of course, they still don't understand why we got married."

"No one will, love."

"I know." I smiled down at her before turning back to my breakfast.

* * *

I looked up as I entered the Room of Requirement, meeting Ginny's eyes with a smile. She looked beautiful today. Of course, she always did. Hermione, Ron, Neville, and Luna were sitting with her, looking curiously between us. We had been back at school for nearly a week now, and I had spent most of last night convincing Dumbledore that it was a good idea to bring them in on this. He only agreed after I promised not to tell them the purpose for their work.

Predictably, it was Hermione who spoke first. "So what did you want to speak with us about, Harry?"

I took my seat by Ginny, silently reaching for her hand and placing a kiss on her cheek. "Hello, love," I greeted her before turning to Hermione. "You are all aware that Ginny and I have been helping Dumbledore with specialized tasks to end the war?" I received several nods and a dreamy smile from Luna. "There is a reason he has been allowing me to help."

"Yeah, you two have some major power," Ron interjected.

"Not quite, though that did help." I took a deep breath and Ginny squeezed my hand in silent support. "He is letting me help because it is my destiny."

Ron and Neville gave me confused looks, and Hermione stared at me in horror, but Luna spoke softly. "Of course. There is a prophecy about that."

"You mean…" Hermione questioned.

"Yes, the prophecy we fought over last June was about me and Voldemort."

"Do you know what it said?" She asked.

I nodded.

"Well, are you going to tell us?" Ron put in.

"No."

"What! Why not?"

"Because Voldemort would kill you for that information. I will only tell you the part he knows: _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…_"

Neville drew in a sharp breath and stuttered, "But… that… I…"

"Yes, it could have meant you as well." He stared at me in horror that I well understood; I would have given anything for it to not have been about me. Well, most anything. If it was the only way I could have Ginny I was willing to put up with being the Chosen One. "However, Voldemort chose to believe it was me, and the second part of the prophecy, which I won't tell you, makes it clear that it is me."

He gulped visibly in relief, which I could hardly begrudge him.

"So that's why he keeps coming after you," Hermione whispered.

"Yes." I looked at Ron, but he was looking at the ground with clenched fists. I turned to Luna, who was looking right at me with a soft encouraging smile.

"You wish for our help." She stated matter-of-factly.

"Yes." Ron looked up and his blue eyes met mine. They were determined. "I know you are going to want to stand by my side and fight with me, and there may come a time for that. But right now I need something else." I shut my eyes briefly before continuing on. "Voldemort did something that prevented him from dying. In order to kill him we need to find and destroy seven objects. Ginny and I can destroy them, but we need help in locating them."

"What are they?" Hermione asked with a familiar gleam in her eyes. I knew exactly what was going through her mind, and this was precisely the reason I had argued to be able to tell them. Hermione wouldn't rest until she solved the puzzle.

"I can't tell you what Voldemort turned them into. But the original object could be anything, though he likes to use things that hold a specific value to him."

"Have you found any of them?"

"Yes. Ginny and I have collectively destroyed three. The first was the diary," I paused as Hermione gasped in shock, and Ron's hands clenched in anger. "The third was a ring, a family heirloom belonging to Voldemort's mother's family."

"And the other was Harry himself," Ginny said quietly.

Our four friends went completely silent as they stared at me in horror. I gave them a minute, as I knew how horrifying that revelation could be.

"Dumbledore thinks he knows what three of the four remaining ones are, though we do not know where they are. He stole family heirlooms of Hufflepuff and Slytherin: a small cup and a gold locket. In addition, Dumbledore thinks Nagini, his snake, is one."

"We have no idea on the last one?" Hermione asked, a familiar look of thought in her eyes.

"Not really, though based on those we do know it would make sense for it to be something that belonged to either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. Dumbledore is fairly confident that all of Gryffindor's heirlooms have remained safe, however."

"It might be Ravenclaw's lost Diadem," Luna spoke up, looking unusually serious.

My head shot up to look at her. "What is that?"

"Her diadem is said to enhance the wisdom of whoever wears it. It hasn't been seen since Rowena Ravenclaw died, but it is the only relic I can think of that might still be around."

"Okay, that sounds like a good idea. So we need to find Hufflepuff's cup, Slytherin's locket, and Ravenclaw's diadem." My mind churned as I tried to think of where Voldemort could have hidden them. I didn't really know his history well enough to know what places might be important to him.

I heard several startled gasps and looked up in confusion. The Room had changed around us. Along the walls were numerous books, each one hanging under a banner of one of the four founders. And there, sitting on the table in front of me, was a tarnished tiara with tiny words etched into it: _Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure._ My mouth fell open in shock. "How..." I couldn't even finish my sentence. How was it possible that we got the Horcrux?

"Is that...?" Ron asked.

"Of course," Luna answered. "Though I don't know how it got here."

"It had to already be here," Hermione began hesitantly after we all sat staring at the diadem for several long minutes. "The Room's magic can only produce allusions of things it needs. As soon as you try to take something it produced out of the Room, it always disappears."

"But does that mean this is only an allusion of the real diadem?" Ginny asked.

"No, I think it is real. Otherwise, the Room would have produced fake versions of all of them."

"We have to be sure," I cut in. "Dobby!"

"Yes, Harry Potter, sir?"

"We need Dumbledore, please. Can you get him for me?"

"Of course, Harry Potter, sir. Dobby wills get the Headmaster rights away."

None of us spoke as we waited, but thankfully it wasn't long. With a pop, Dobby arrived with Dumbledore. He looked around at us curiously before his gaze fell on the diadem sitting on the table. He drew in a startled gasp.

"Is that Ravenclaw's Lost Diadem?"

"We were hoping you could tell us, sir." Ginny answered. "We were sitting here talking about the... _objects_ we need to find, and Luna mentioned that if the last one belonged to Ravenclaw it would probably be her Lost Diadem. And it just appeared, along with all the books around the room on the founders."

Dumbledore's eyes shot up briefly from the diadem to note the many shelves full of books, and then he pulled his wand. He whispered the same spell he had used to check that the ring was a Horcrux. "It is indeed what we seek. I do not know how it came to be here."

"I think," Hermione began hesitantly. "That Voldemort himself must have hidden it in the Room of Requirement. That is the only way the Room could have produced the real thing."

"I believe you may be correct, Miss Granger. Voldemort did return to the school several years ago, requesting that I give him the Defence Against the Dark Arts position. He may have taken that opportunity to hide the Diadem here." Dumbledore turned to look at Ginny and I. "You should destroy it immediately."

"Yes, sir." As I stood up, a familiar door appeared in the wall. "We'll just be next door."

"Oi! I want to watch!" Ron exclaimed.

I chuckled. "Not a good idea, mate."

"And why not?"

"Because the way that Harry and Ginny destroy these objects is by unleashing Fiendfyre. I do not think you wish to be in the same room as that, Mr. Weasley." Dumbledore answered.

"Oh."

I rolled my eyes as I carefully picked up the diadem. Hermione had a familiar gleam in her eyes already, and I have little doubt that she would eventually piece together the clues to determine that we were talking about Horcruxes. It just might take her awhile. "While Ginny and I are taking care of this, why don't you guys start looking at those books? It would be nice to have a good picture of the locket and cup."

I took her hand. Maybe this time we could manage to destroy the damn thing without exhausting either one of us.

* * *

The next day I was sitting in the common room waiting for Ginny to get changed after Quidditch practice, when Hermione sat down beside me with a familiar gleam in her eyes. I sighed and leaned back in my chair.

"Yes, Hermione?"

"Are you really not going to tell us _what_ He turned them into?"

"Dumbledore won't let me. He's worried that the more people that know the more likely it is that Voldemort will find out. And you have to know how very bad that would be."

Hermione huffed in irritation. "Don't you trust me?"

"Of course."

"Then you should tell me the truth."

"Two words, Hermione: Peter Pettigrew. There are certain things that are important enough to not even tell your best friends, even if you trust them fully."

She growled under her breath at me. "Fine! But I will find out."

"I have no doubt, Hermione. But please, be discrete in your searching and don't discuss it with anyone but me and Ginny."

She gave a clipped nod before practically bolting from her seat and heading to the library. I wondered idly if there were even books in the library that mentioned Horcruxes. I was willing to bet that Dumbledore had removed them years ago. Of course, I had learned years ago not to bet against Hermione. I wondered how long it would take her.

* * *

Two days before Halloween we had our first breakthrough, and it came from a surprising direction. Ron had been staring into space as we all read through various books the Room of Requirement had provided, and I had assumed he was just sick of research. So I was shocked when he spoke up.

"Harry, remember in second year, when you made the comparison between you and Voldemort, and commented how alike you were?"

"Yeah..."

"You said that you both thought of Hogwarts as home." I nodded. "So Voldemort thought this place was home and so he hid one of his... whatevers here. Then he found the place where his family was from, his _wizard_ family, and hid one there. You were an accident, so we'll ignore that one, but the last one we know of was given to Malfoy for safekeeping."

"Where are you going with this, mate?"

"What if he gave another one to a different Death Eater, someone else he trusted as much as Malfoy?"

I sat back, thinking. "That makes a lot of sense. So who would he have trusted that much?"

"Um..." Neville spoke up quietly. "When I was growing up Gran always said He trusted three Death Eaters above the rest. One was Sirius, which was obviously wrong, one was Malfoy, and the other was Bellatrix. Gran says Bellatrix always acted as if she was His biggest supporter."

"But she's been in Azkaban, well, until she broke out. They would have searched her home when she was arrested and I'm sure they would have found something like that." Hermione put in.

"Unless it wasn't in her home," Luna added quietly.

"But it's still a good idea." I said. "Don't you think?"

They all shrugged.

"It is a good idea. We'll tell Dumbledore next time we see him," Ginny said as she took my hand. "And in the meantime, we can try to think of places she might have hidden it, or other Death Eaters Voldemort might have given one to."

* * *

It was the first Saturday of November and I breathed a sigh of relief as Ginny and I walked hand-in-hand through the gates of Hogwarts towards the village. I was getting tired of the stares and whispers that followed me everywhere I went, and the not so curious glances towards Ginny's midsection. By my best guess, most people seemed to assume that Ginny was at least two months pregnant and were eagerly waiting her starting to show. I sincerely hoped they realised the truth soon, or I might go insane. I had a vain wish that everyone would forget about us in the excitement of visiting Hogsmeade today.

My wish only lasted about 37 seconds until we stepped into the main street of the village and every head in sight turned in our direction. With a frustrated growl I pulled Ginny into a convenient side street in a vain hope of avoiding the stares. I was just about to pull her into my arms for a quick kiss, or maybe not so quick, when a figure cowering in the corner caught my attention.

"Dung?"

"Harry? Tha' you, lad?"

"Yeah! What are you doing here?"

He shuffled nervously and my eyes narrowed. "Jus' this and tha'."

He seemed to be trying to push his pack behind him without drawing attention to it. When I looked down, a glint of familiar silver caught my eye and I froze. Without even thinking about it, my hand shot out and pushed Dung against wall. He flinched at the shock. "What else did you take?" I growled.

He shuddered against the wall. "Nothing! I swear!"

"You had better not be lying to me, Dung!"

"Tha's all of i'! I swear!"

With a glance at Ginny, she gave a quick nod and grabbed the pack off the floor as I continued to glare at the thief in front of me. "If you so much as take a napkin from _my_ house again, you may not be able to sit down for a month."

"O' course, Harry!"

I threw him down onto the ground and turned away in disgust. Without much thought I followed Ginny around the back of the building until we were out of sight of the disgusting piece of filth. Suddenly drained of energy, I sunk down against the wall. Ginny sat down quietly beside me and silently offered me the pack. With a heavy sigh, I opened it only to clench my fists closed when I saw the contents. Sirius' silver and various other trinkets glittered back up at me from its confines. I dropped it to the ground and didn't even flinch as several silver goblets spilled out and a silver dish went rolling into the street. Quietly Ginny stood up and went to quietly pick up the plate. She came back and placed it carefully into the bag, then started to place the goblets back in. I barely noticed when she froze in place.

"Harry!"

I looked up at her, only to draw in a sharp breath. In her hand was a large golden locket with an engraved S. We didn't even take the time to walk back to the school, instead I grabbed her hand and we disappeared instantly in the wind.

"Professor Dumbledore!" I shouted as we materialized in his office.

It took a minute for him to appear, during which time I had thrown the locket onto his desk—I didn't like the feel of it—and Ginny had hurried over to lavish attention on Fawkes. "Harry? Ginny?" He asked, unusually serious. "Is something wrong?"

I pointed at the locket and he drew in a startled gasp. "We were in Hogsmeade and found Dung sulking in an alley with a bag of stuff he had stolen from Sirius' house. This was part of it."

"But... how?"

"I didn't remember until I saw it again, but we found this locket when we cleaning summer before fifth year. None of us could open it and so we threw it away. Kreacher must have stolen it and saved it."

As Dumbledore performed the now familiar spell and verified that it was indeed a Horcrux, I began to worry. We had now found two Horcruxes with almost no effort, and had a good idea where another might be; while this would normally be cause for celebration I couldn't help but wonder when things were going to stop going our way.

* * *

Tired and needing a break from just about everything, I insisted that Ginny and I spend the entirety of Sunday in our room. Our friends seemed to easily except this decision, I just neglected to mention my preferred activity for the day. It felt a little like our honeymoon, spending the entire day lost in my wife and our love, and I had a grand time exploring her reactions to differing amounts of electricity. I could get such _interesting _reactions out of her that it fascinated me.

Of course she paid me back on Monday. I spent the entire day ready to swear that she was touching and caressing me and only later found out that the entire castle was laughing at me. Apparently, I had fire dancing over me most of the day and no one had wanted to mention it.

I have absolutely no idea why everyone is so terrified of me. I just intend to encourage it. I think Padfoot would be proud.

* * *

"Potter!"

Ginny and I both looked up in shock. I don't think either of us had done anything to warrant attention from Professor Snape, so why was he bearing down at us? "Yes, Professor?"

He sneered at us for a minute before speaking. "I need an assistant for one of the lessons I would like to teach to the seventh years. Be in my office tomorrow morning at 9."

He turned to walk away before I overcame my shock enough to speak. "Um, Professor?" He turned his sneer back to me. "What exactly do you need from me? And why me?" I didn't want to anger him, but I thought they were both perfectly justifiable questions.

"I want to get the point across that even the Unforgivables can be blocked with appropriate materials. Unfortunately, the Headmaster will only let me demonstrate if I cast at you, as he claims you are the only one in the castle with the means to defend yourself if something should go wrong."

"Oh." And maybe he really just wanted to try and AK me. "Okay, then." I didn't relish being the centre of attention again, but it was a valuable lesson for them to learn. I would help, even if it was for Snape, of all people.

So it was I found myself in the seventh year Defence Against the Dark Arts class the next morning, standing across from a glowering Snape, willingly letting him hold a wand on me. It was... disconcerting, to say the least. I even thought I saw his mouth twitch for a minute, as if he was hiding a smile. That might be because I was occasionally sparking in random places. But, come on, Snape was about to curse me and I was supposed to take that calmly?

"Pay attention! You've gone over the conjuration of marble in Transfiguration, and today I am going to demonstrate the uses of that skill. As _Potter_ has not yet mastered it, I've provided some for him to summon instead." He gestured to a small pile of marble rubble. "I am going to shoot spells at him, and Potter will block only with rocks unless he absolutely has to resort to another means."

With a thought, the rocks were lifted into the air and travelling in loose formation around me. I thought it would be quicker to already have them close and moving, and I didn't want to make any mistakes. My hand was also up and ready to deflect a spell directly if I had to. I was pretending not to notice the small red salamander perched on top of a one of the cupboards. Ginny undoubtedly refused to trust the man and wanted to make sure he didn't try anything. As I would have been hiding under my invisibility cloak if it had been her in my place, I let it go. Snape started with low level spells that I could have blocked with a basic _Protego,_ but I used the rocks instead. It was actually rather interesting to note the different ways the marble reacted to each spell. I filed it away to discuss with Hermione later when I wasn't being actively hexed.

I knew things were getting serious when he shot an _Imperio._ It made sense he would start with that one, as he knew it would have no affect on me. There was a shocked gasp as I blocked it easily with a medium-sized hunk of stone. His _Crucio_ had one girl in the front row screaming, but it, too, was deflected. By this point, it seemed obvious what was coming, and the entire class watched as the familiar green light streaked towards me. I used a larger piece of marble, just in case. It exploded in a fine mist upon contact, and when the dust had settled I looked up to see Snape giving me a brief nod before slipping back into his customary sneer. Huh.

"Now, I'm not going to be shooting Unforgivables at any of you." He actually looked slightly disappointed about this. "But I want you to see for yourselves what this skill can do for you. Pair up and shoot stinging hexes at each other, blocking only with conjured marble."

It seemed to cause him physical pain when he awarded me ten points for helping in his demonstration.

* * *

She sat in the back of the room, having to actively resist the urge to scowl. They were a bunch of idiots. For a year they did nothing more than talk and guard a stupid prophecy. If Dumbledore hadn't wanted anyone to get a hold of it, he should have just had the brat come in, grab it off the stupid shelf, and smash it. But no, the old man had them guarding it for nearly a year, wasting valuable time and resources. And then this summer, when the boy and his whore had developed those stupid powers, the old man had dropped everything for them. He was an idiot if he thought he could place all of his hope on an immature boy who had stumbled into a bit of power. Two elementalists could not win a war on their own, as the old man seemed to think. Besides, she bet that most of the rumours about them were propaganda intended to make the world fear them. She bet they couldn't do much more than spark a bit of fire and fly around. The stories she had heard about electricity were probably a fancy illusion the old man was using to make the Dark Lord fear the boy. Idiot. The Dark Lord feared no one.

She knew that she should be dead by now. Dolohov had made it perfectly clear that he had been tasked with killing her instead of capturing her. It was only the fact that he found her spouting off about how the old man's stupid plans were going to get them all killed that had led him to bringing her in alive instead.

At first, she had been put off by the violence, but she had quickly learned her lesson. She may not be into the same things as Dolohov or Bellatrix—she shuddered as she remembered some of the things she had seen them do and was almost glad Dolohov was gone for good now, but she had certainly enjoyed herself when Nott took her out to get revenge on that bastard who had dumped her for the stupid tramp. It had been quite... satisfying making him hold the girl down as the two new recruits took turns taking her, and even better to make him cut off his own bits. Of course, she hadn't killed him. But he was now earning his keep as her own personal slave and in his spare time, what little there was of it, she sent him to serve the Dark Lord. Killing, she thought, was beneath her when there so many better things to do with someone. And her toy was being so useful now.

Her thoughts were brought back to the idiots around her as Snape showed up. She still didn't know what to think of him, the man was slippery as an eel. The old man clearly thought Snape was firmly on his side, but the Dark Lord was fairly confident in the Potions Master. From what she had seen, while carefully hidden as she didn't dare risk her cover, Snape might just as well be playing both sides. But she would find out. And, in the meantime, she would provide a way for her Lord to start picking off the members of this stuffed turkey club. And no one would have any reason to suspect her, as they all underestimated her. It had been a good idea to never reveal her true abilities here.

She stared around the room, trying to decide who she wanted taken out first. The werewolf would be a good idea, as the brat actually _cared_ about him, but she knew it was hard to get the drop on the man. A Weasley would be good, but which one? Maybe... now that was an idea. And it would be a serious boon for her Lord. Now, how to accomplish it?

She spent the evening in a Muggle pub. They may be no higher than cattle, but they had their uses. And an unseen spell had the pretty boy fawning all over her.

Yes, life was good.

* * *

A/N: Wow, I've finally updated! I know, you are all shocked. I had a bit of a stumbling block with this story. As I seem to hit this point every time I write a story I am standing firm by my decision not to start posting a new one until it is already written. Hence I have been writing, but much of it was on new stories that aren't being posted yet. I don't have nearly as much time to write anymore, as I graduated, moved, and started a real job. However, I still plan on finishing both of my stories. I want to finish Elemental first, while also working on those unposted ones. Then I'll hopefully get back to reworking War Against Voldemort.

I know this is a bit shorter, but a lot happened and I felt it was a good place to stop. Obviously, there isn't much left. Enjoy and happy long weekend!


	11. Chapter 10: The Price of War

I had to resist the urge to shout with glee. It was a relief to be playing Quidditch after the last few weeks. I knew it was stupid to hope for, as there was a psychotic madman after me, but I was really wanting things to calm down for a bit. Today was a perfect day for a game, too. And it was even better because we were playing Slytherin. Madam Hooch had given me a severe talking to this morning to ensure that I didn't use any of my special abilities during the game. Of course this didn't stop me from using my newly acquired knowledge of airwaves to move better and faster. Even if I was slower on a broom.

It was also slightly amusing to feel what could only be called _amusement_ the wind was radiating around me because I had the temerity to fly _without _it. Amused wind is... well, _amusing._

This match was also interesting because of who was commenting. You would have thought that after McGonagall's constant fights with Lee Jordan, she would have picked a commentator with less of a bias, and a more personable attitude. She picked Zacharias Smith. I had to grit my teeth to keep from lashing out at his ridiculous commentary. Most of what he said was snide comments about my team, and constant degrading of me. I think he felt invincible because he knew I wouldn't attack him with McGonagall sitting right beside him. But when he mentioned Urquhart's first goal attempt I whipped my broom around to watch anxiously. Ron had been more consistent in his play recently, but that was in practice. Games had always been harder for him. I shouldn't have been worried however, as Ron played spectacularly. I continued my circling of the game, occasionally taking the opportunity to break up the Slytherin chasers, while I looked for the Snitch. I was also idly thinking up ways to get back at Smith. I wonder if I could send the wind on a mission to another part of the castle for me?

I swear I didn't do it on purpose, but when the wind offered a slight nudge, I turned reflexively to look and was immediately streaking towards the Gryffindor goal posts. Ron immediately understood and got out of the way as I shot past him. I swerved at the last minute around the post and looped around to pluck the Snitch out the air. Once I heard the whistle signalling the end of the game, however, I immediately pulled my broom out from under me. I let go a bit in celebration, racing around the pitch. After a series of acrobatics that had the crowd gasping in shock I found my wife and kissed her exuberantly.

There was just something about winning a Quidditch match that made you want to snog, without caring about who was watching. Maybe the crowd made it more exciting. In any case, I had the strong urge to whisk her away for a more _private_ celebration. I'm sure it would be much more enjoyable than anything the Gryffindors could pull together.

Really, there was no comparison. And judging by Ginny's squeals of laughter, I don't think she minded either.

* * *

With a grim look, I turned my back on the arguing room. They were being ridiculous and we were going to get nowhere like this. I had finally gotten Dumbledore to consider our idea of looking in Death Eater vaults for the last Horcrux, well aside from the snake. I knew exactly where she was. Of course, we then had to contend with three different people who thought they knew what was best. I had expected Dumbledore to have a strong opinion, and Hermione was certainly no shock. What was unusual was the fact that Ron was so adamant about things. I guess all those compliments about him being good at strategy had gone to his head. I think we needed to lay off of that strategy for helping his self esteem before it backfired spectacularly.

Personally, I thought it was obvious what we should do, but no one was listening to me today. This seemed odd, as it had been my idea in the first place, and I was the one who had to go and search them. Well, Ginny and I. The voices only grew louder around me, and now there were several of them shouting at once. That did it. With barely a glance, Ginny was at my side and, before anyone noticed, we were gone. We appeared in a dark vault, and Ginny instantly sent several fireballs out for light. Then we got down to searching.

I was slightly in awe of the contents of Malfoy's vault, and even more disturbed. How was it that he got away with storing some of this stuff in here? Some of it looked worse than the contents of Borgin and Burke's. Did that necklace really cause the wearer to age ten times faster than normal? I shuddered as I imagined some of the rich and spoilt women from Aunt Petunia's magazines if that happened to them. And, eww..., that looked like an entire human skeleton. Why in Merlin's name would Malfoy keep something like that? And what possible need could he have for what looked distinctly like pickled human eyes. Um, yeah, that's disgusting.

The next vault was no better. Actually, the container that looked suspiciously like it contained dead human foetuses could definitely be considered worse. I shuddered and determined that Ginny and I were going to spend the next day trying desperately to get these objects out of my head.

Skulls frozen in what looked very much like a terrified scream.

A collection of torture devices, most of which I couldn't even imagine how someone would use.

An entire shelf containing vial of bloods.

A collection of pornographic paintings that had me blushing furiously before turning away.

A set of full Death Eater regalia that had me questioning why the Ministry didn't have some way in place to search the vaults of suspected Death Eaters.

Three hours and our fifth vault later, we finally found what we were looking for. With my arms tightly wrapped around her, Ginny called forth her fire. This time, we didn't bother to stop it. We stayed around long enough to ensure the Horcrux was destroyed, and then left the fire to clean out the vault. It was my hope that this would prevent anyone from knowing what we were looking for in the first place. I knew out little excursion would not pass unnoticed, as I had heard the alarms start as soon as Ginny called forth the Fiendfyre, but it would be better if no one knew the purpose for it. As an added precaution, we revisited the previous vaults and set fire to them as well. No sense in allowing the Death Eaters to keep their gold—they would just buy their way out of justice with it and hurt more people. And I had absolutely no problem with destroying some of those artefacts.

Some things should never be allowed to exist. Thankfully, my fabulous wife has the means to destroy them. And at the same time, we got the last Horcrux but the snake. Things were looking good.

* * *

_Gringotts Break In! Goblins Deny Any Culpability_

_By Tearnon Hemp_

_The wizarding world is still reeling from the news that five top level Gringotts vaults were not only accessed by an outside party, but completely destroyed. Evidence indicated that some unknown party entered the vaults late Saturday night and set loose Fiendfyre. The unstoppable fire completely destroyed the contents of all five vaults before being stopped by the Gringotts wards from escaping and causing any further damage. The owners have declined to release details of what exactly was contained in their vaults. _

_Fiendfyre, due to its uncontrollable nature, is usually considered the vilest of Dark Magic, so one would naturally assume that the perpetrators were Dark Practitioners of the worse sort. Or, one would if they didn't know which vaults were destroyed. _

_The Malfoy, Lestrange, Rookwood, Dolohov, and Avery vaults were those that were broken into. All five families have members that have been convicted of Death Eater activities. Indeed, one might say they represent the worst of the lot, for while Malfoy and Avery were only convicted this last year, the three Lestranges, Rookwood, and Dolohov (recently deceased) all have well earned reputations as being the most fearsome of the Death Eaters. _

_But the question remains: who was it who did this, and how did they get past the formidable Gringotts wards? There has been only one previous break-in at Gringotts, in July of 1991. However, on that occasion nothing was taken or destroyed; not so this time. We at the Prophet are also curious to know if the entire contents of the vaults were destroyed, or if they were pilfered first. But there is no way to tell._

_And was it a wizard of the Light who used such terrifying magic to accomplish this, or was it the Dark providing itself with funds that were in many cases locked down because of the incarceration of the Head of House?_

_The Goblins have stated that there is no evidence of foul play on their part and that they are planning to add extensive new warding systems in the coming weeks. Their outrage was palpable, and this reporter hopes whomever perpetrated this crime knows to steer well-clear of the furious bankers. Their expressions during the press conference were terrifying and promised revenge of the worst nature._

* * *

I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes. Ginny and I were sitting in the Headmaster's office, too far apart to even hold hands, being yelled at by two very angry people. Well, yelled at is a relative term. Mrs. Weasley was certainly making her displeasure known at an ear-splitting volume. I didn't even _know _someone could yell that loudly. I hope she didn't give herself vocal damage. Dumbledore, however, was merely sounding very disappointed and looking at us with sad eyes. Of course, this had little effect on me. I think you have to _have_ parents in order for parental disapproval to have any effect. Or it might be that I just don't feel bad about what we did. They may be upset that we didn't tell anyone where we were going, but it wouldn't have done much good—it's not like we could have taken anyone with us. In my mind, the middle of a war is not the time for discussion, but for action. Maybe that is why the Order is really so ineffectual. It also makes me wonder what hope we would have had for winning the war if Ginny and I hadn't been given these powers.

It was a bleak thought.

I was jolted back to attention when the fire flared green. We all looked over instantly to see Tonks' head in the fire. There was none of her usual flamboyance in her expression; it looked badly out of place on the face of the usual happy Auror and it instantly put me on alert.

"Giants and Death Eaters have been spotted in Edinburgh." And then she disappeared.

"Merlin save us." Dumbledore murmured and I whipped around in shock. "The Queen and Prime Minister are in Edinburgh today. Kingsley informed me three days ago." I drew in a sharp breath. Before I could voice the obvious question, Ginny beat me to it.

"Sir, did the Order know of this?" She asked quietly.

With infinite sadness in his eyes, he nodded. "We have been betrayed."

There was no point to discuss this now, and time was precious. With a firm look, I let both Dumbledore and Mrs. Weasley know that we were coming with them. Dumbledore nodded his assent while calling for Fawkes to transport them. Two pillars of flames signalled our departure.

We arrived less than a minute later to total destruction. With a look, Ginny and I separated. She went after the Death Eaters that were furiously fighting with Order members, and I went after the giants. I pulled the wind with me and pushed against them. I grunted with frustration as they barely moved. Well, damn. It was too risky to use hurricane force wind, which was the only thing I thought might have a chance of moving them. Time to try something else entirely. Concentrating, I started throwing lightning.

It didn't seem to even faze them.

Bloody hell.

Most of the giants simply looked mildly confused before shaking their heads and continuing on with spreading terror when I hit them. That made me angry and I started pulling lightning from the sky, as it would be stronger than any I could conjure on my own. This had a mildly stronger effect on the giants, but still didn't deter them for long. Most of them simply twitched in irritation before smashing something else. So I concentrated on making it stronger and larger. It took a stupendously large bolt, but eventually I started putting them down. I heard her cackling as the last giant collapsed to the ground, and my eyes narrowed in anger. I knew that voice.

She would not escape me again.

I barely turned around in enough time to stop Bellatrix's opening Killing Curse. The follow up ones were coming so fast I only had time stop them, instead of returning fire. She gave me a truly demented smile just as a scream pierced the air.

"Not all powerful, are we, Potter?"

In an instant, I understood. Bellatrix was here to distract me. With a gesture she prompted me to turn, and I looked around with fear. My wife was still screaming in despair, and I understood why when I saw her kneeling next to a redheaded body.

Charlie.

With a roar of anger I exploded.

Bellatrix, her eyes wide in shock, lit up with the force of electricity coursing through her body, but I didn't pause to savour my revenge on the mad witch. The force of the wind started rocking the buildings around us, and the air was filled with screams as I picked up the Death Eaters one by one and added them to my growing tornado. I gave a feral grin when Ginny's familiar fire began wrapping around the twisting cyclone. I would let her administer the final end to the monsters who had dared to harm her brother. As I watched the flaming and screaming storm, a deep weight settled into my stomach. As the screams died rather abruptly, I realised with a jolt that it had been at least six hours since I had touched my wife.

And with that thought I fell out of the sky.

* * *

_A few minutes earlier_

Albus Dumbledore was sick with worry when they appeared in the middle of a pitched battle. He sent Molly towards the cowering Muggle leaders. She would protect them with the fierceness of a lioness while the rest of them dealt with the attacking force. He was so busy fighting, that it wasn't until part way through Harry's fight with Bellatrix that dread started to settle in his stomach.

He had known as soon as Tonks' head appeared in the fire, that they had been betrayed, but it was not until that moment that the true extent of that betrayal began to dawn on him. It was obvious to someone watching from the outside that Bellatrix was distracting Harry, and that most of the Death Eaters were only using the Killing Curse around Ginny. Clearly, they knew that only Harry was capable of stopping that dreaded curse.

His eyes narrowed as he tried to make his way over to the lad to help him, but the piercing scream let him know he was too late. Dumbledore was looking right at the crazed witch when Charlie fell, his body illuminated with sickly green light; she was beaming in triumph.

With a jolt he realised that the entire thing had been a set up. They knew that Harry and Ginny would come with a threat against the Queen. They knew that only Harry was capable of stopping the Killing Curse. They knew that taking out a Weasley would devastate both young Potters.

With a sad smile, Albus watched as Harry's fury exploded. The Death Eaters did not stand a chance against Harry in this state. So while they had been betrayed, it was not by someone who knew the full extent of Harry's abilities. This was fortunate.

That did not, however, negate the tragedy that had occurred. He only hoped Harry was up to helping Ginny through this. And he hoped Voldemort was prepared for Harry's retaliation, for it would be terrible to behold.

* * *

When I blinked awake it took me a moment to realise I was in Grimmauld Place instead of the Hogwarts Infirmary. I breathed a sigh of relief when I felt Ginny's familiar weight against my side. I turned my head and found Remus sitting in a chair by the bed, his chin resting in his hands as he watched us. He gave me a wan smile.

"How are you, Harry?"

I shrugged the shoulder that my wife wasn't currently using as her pillow. "I'm feeling better, if that's what you mean. What happened?"

"You fell. Albus said you had probably been away from Ginny for too long." I nodded. "Albus was able to slow you down enough that I could catch you."

"Thank you, Remus." I hesitated. "Charlie..."

"He was hit by a Killing Curse while you were fighting Bellatrix."

"Someone warned Voldemort that they would need to keep me occupied."

"Yes."

"And that I was the only one capable of stopping the Killing Curse."

"Yes."

"And that Ginny and I would show up if there was a threat of that magnitude against the Queen."

"Yes."

I drew in a shuddering breath, trying to control my temper. There was already a steady wind in the room, and I didn't want to make it worse. This house wasn't protected against my temper. "Do we know who it was?"

"No. Albus always has been reluctant to root out spies." I nodded. "But he has not anyone leave this house. So whoever it was, they are still here."

"Help me up. I'll find them."

After tucking a blanket around my wife, who had tear-tracks down her cheeks, I headed downstairs to find out what was going on. It was pandemonium when I walked in. Molly Weasley was in a corner sobbing into Ron's arms. The twins were sitting in a corner, uncharacteristically quiet. The rest of the Weasleys were screaming at various people, and seemed to be demanding to know who had betrayed us.

Personally, I thought it was a valid question.

It quickly became obvious, however, that they were going about it wrong. Yesterday, I would never have even considered doing this, but now things were different. I had been trusting people my whole life, and time after time it came back to hurt me. I was sick of it, and it was going to stop. I opened my palm briefly and then threw the lightning bolt that materialised there into the ground, hard. Instantly, everyone's attention was on me. Good.

"Is everyone here?" I asked quietly.

"What do you mean, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"Is every member of the Order that knew about our trip here?" He nodded. "Then I will be personally handling the questioning of everyone. No one will leave the room until I clear them." I turned and made eye contact with Bill. With a nod of understanding he was standing guarding the door. I almost wanted someone to try and get past him; I had a feeling the curses he would use would be on the insane side of interesting. He had always been closest to Charlie.

"Harry... are you sure that's wise?" Dumbledore questioned.

I met his stare head on. "My wife is lying in bed upstairs after crying herself to sleep. There is no alternative." I intentionally released my power until electricity was sparking all around me. "Now, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Anyone want to confess?"

There was dead silence in the room. Most of them had never seen a true display of my power before today. They were terrified. "Fine. You may leave the room after I receive your magical vow of innocence about the events of today, and allegiance to the Order until Voldemort is defeated for good."

"Harry?" Kingsley asked quietly. "Do you know what you are asking of us?"

"Completely. Professor Dumbledore will serve as our bonder, and every single one of you will make this oath, or never leave this room alive. Clearly, I can no longer trust anyone without it, and I will no longer put my faith in anyone but my wife."

Remus was the first, then Ron and his brothers. Mrs. Weasley was crying through hers, but there was steel in her eyes. She knew why I was doing this. Kingsley was exceptionally solemn while he gave his oath. I had a bit of trouble with Snape, but one more lightning bolt into the floor got him moving. I had to resist the urge to wipe my hand off on my jeans afterwards. Of course, I wasn't counting on everyone giving me their oath without finding the traitor. With a hard gaze I turned to Dumbledore.

"Clearly, there were others."

"The only others are the injured that Poppy is tending upstairs."

"Where?" It was actually quite ingenious. The traitor got themselves injured to allay suspicion. Who would suspect someone who was themselves hurt?

"Several are in fairly critical condition, though we believe they will pull through. Charlie was the only fatality."

I nodded and quickly headed out of the room. With a sigh, Dumbledore followed me. I had to force Pomfrey, at lightning-point, to wake Hestia up, as she was in rather critical condition. But she gave her oath. Dedalus squeaked through his, seeming thrilled to prove his loyalty. I paused before entering the last room, looking across at Sirius' door and whispering that I had revenged him at last. It was the only bright spot in this horrendous day, that I had finally revenged not only Sirius but Neville's parents. I just wish we hadn't had to pay such a high price.

My expression was grim as I opened the last door. As soon as I stepped into the room, I turned around and shut the door firmly behind me. Process of elimination meant I wasn't going to need any help here. I fully intend to find out every little piece of information she had passed to Voldemort, and in the process I was going to find out exactly how strong an electric force was required to stop a human heart.

* * *

I held a sobbing Ginny as we watched the coffin lower into the ground, levitated by the collective Weasley boys. Mrs. Weasley was hysterical in the arms of her husband, and Dumbledore, presiding over the ceremony, was solemn as a tear fell down his wrinkled cheek. There was a large crowd of people standing around the family. Many I knew, but there was a large group of young adults that I assumed were Charlie's friends that were unfamiliar to me. There was a large preponderance of burly and scarred men in that group, and most were kitted out in some kind of dragonhide. I felt kind of bad about how much I enjoyed the stories they had told about Charlie during the wake beforehand.

When the coffin was finally placed down, Dumbledore nodded at me. With a fine gust of wind, I gently filled the whole with the newly dug earth. Without lifting her head, Ginny sent fire in an elaborate dance around the grave, a large brilliant red dragon curling up to guard the precious plot.

It was a fitting tribute to a life cut short entirely too soon in a war he should not have been fighting. There was a quiet pop and I raised my head to meet the black and lifeless eyes of Severus Snape. He gave me a brief nod before quickly looking away.

The trap was set and the prey was approaching. Now we just had to spring it at the right moment.

* * *

A/N: Again, I am sorry for the delay. This story is almost done and I rewrote this chapter three times before I was happy with it. It is a bit short, but I really wanted to stop there. I expect one or two more chapters. The battle chapter and possibly a clean-up/epilogue.

As for the spy. Clearly, it is a girl in the Order (and she is canon). It is _not_ Tonks. She knows much more about Harry than the spy does, and the back story I gave the spy doesn't fit at all. But I'm not telling you who it is (even though it is getting much easier to guess at this point).

As always, thanks for your comments and encouragement. I promise to finish this, I'm just not giving promises about when that will be. I'm a professor an am applying for jobs, so things are crazy busy. Hopefully it won't be too long.


	12. Chapter 11: Conflagration

_Early that morning_

The Floo flared brightly and Voldemort looked up expectantly. The fight should have ended hours ago and yet no one had returned to report. He hated it when they were late reporting, and it didn't happen often, as he was quite liberal with showing his displeasure. A slight trickle of fear was beginning to worm its way into his mind, but he carefully schooled his features; he did not want to betray even the hint of fear to his followers. As the Floo cleared so that he could see who was coming through, the trickle became a deluge, and he had to grip the edges of his chair to keep himself in check. It would not due to display he emotions openly before his followers. Appearance was everything, after all.

Emmaline Vance's body preceded Severus out of the fire, her expression forever frozen in one of pure terror and her hair still slightly smoking with a putrid odour he could not identify, and her limbs were marred with an odd, red fern-like pattern. The portkey necklace he had given her in case of an emergency was melted around her neck, and he could see where it had seared into her flesh. Tom Riddle had never before seen a body that was burned to death with electricity. He very briefly thought that he had to find the spell that had done this, as it seemed useful and entertaining, but pushed this aside to consider later. Right now it was more important to discover what had happened to his new spy.

"Severus?" he spoke quietly in the sudden stillness of the room. "What is the meaning of this?" Around him he could see his followers shifting nervously; it was obvious that they were wondering why he hadn't immediately retaliated against the slippery Potions master for this affront. The last time a follower had returned to Voldemort's personal chamber with a body of his comrade had ended... messily. It was still being whispered about in the dungeons, as the few witnesses had been terrified into silence. But this time he let it go; Voldemort knew there was more at stake here than his followers' opinion of him.

Severus bowed his head in obeisance before speaking; it was an unusual gesture from the proud man and foretold the bad news to come. Voldemort was used to the Potions Master only showing the minimum amount of reverence and had always excused it due to the man's importance, he had even been heard to excuse it to his followers as being a sign of Snape's unfortunate parentage. "The ambush last night revealed the existence of a spy in the Order." Voldemort nodded. It had been a calculated risk going after the Muggle upstart to the throne of England, but the possible reward was too great to not make the attempt. "Dumbledore was reluctant to take any action besides expressing his displeasure, and he did not even suspect Emmaline as she had been injured, though minimally. He questioned me extensively but was finally convinced of my ignorance." He paused here and Voldemort nodded; that was precisely the reason that Severus had been kept in the dark; one could never fully trust a spy. "But then Harry Potter woke up."

He was unable to repress a sharp hiss of surprise and anger. "What! Potter did this?"

"Yes, my Lord. Dumbledore told me that Potter and his wife came to the battle, and Bella immediately engaged him in battle." He paused again, that battle had truly been something to behold. "When Charlie Weasley was killed and Potter heard his wife's cry of despair he seemed to explode with rage. Bella was shot through with so much electricity her body is no longer recognisable. Then the Potters created a tornado of fire that killed all of my Lord's followers." Voldemort's sharp intake of breath was the only evidence that he was surprised. So he had been deceived as to the boy's true power. Dumbledore must have had him hide the truth from everyone; it was a very Slytherin thing to do, and he grudgingly respected his former teacher; he had not thought Dumbledore capable of such cunning. "The overuse of his power must have caused Potter to collapse, and Dumbledore took everyone back to his headquarters. When Potter woke up he demanded an oath from everyone in the house that they had not been the betrayer. Only the phrasing of his question and my own ignorance spared my life. Emmaline was the last to be questioned and he did so behind closed doors. This was the result."

"Everyone else was killed?" That was quite a loss to his forces; and Bella alone was worth all the rest combined. She seemed to have underestimated Potter's anger on behalf of his wife.

"Yes, my Lord."

"Charlie Weasley was the only casualty among the Order?" Surely his followers could have done more damage than one measly dragon tamer? That was a pitiful showing.

"Yes. Though both Potters were injured, they seem fine now and are not displaying any ill effects besides grief."

"Is it debilitating?" He had to forcefully keep the plea out of his voice; please let something worthwhile have come of this.

"I would almost say it was galvanizing."

There was utter stillness in the room for almost an hour as Voldemort thought and schemed. His followers shifted restlessly, afraid to leave but terrified to stay. None of them had seen their Lord in such a mood before and the unknown was always a terrible risk when it came to Voldemort. He was not one to take the unexpected well. Finally, he spoke again. "What are Potter's plans now?"

"He intends to attend the funeral this afternoon, and then he mentioned taking his wife away in the morning to give her a break."

"Just the two of them alone?" This had possibilities, but it stunk of a trap.

"Yes."

The arrogance of the boy astounded him. "Where?"

"I only know that he promised Dumbledore they would not be far. I got the impression that he had a spot near the castle in mind but I am unaware of the actual location. He was extremely distrustful and would tell no one." Well, this was more promising. If it were a trap surely he would have made sure that Severus was able to discover the location. He sneered as he recalled that Potter was blinded by sentimentality and would care more for the emotional stability of his wife than ending the war this soon after the death of her brother. Those who loved were so predictable and it was always their downfall.

"Very well. Leave me now." This would take careful planning, and he much preferred to do so alone. The sycophants could be so exhausting at times.

His followers hurried out of the room, grateful for the unexpected reprieve from Voldemort's wrath, leaving him alone in the room with the body of his spy. He stared at it in anger, allowing the sight to stoke the flames that were bubbling forth inside him. Revenge was a powerful motivator, as he had discovered when he was merely a boy. Potter would pay.

* * *

I was sick of this. Just like the discussion about raiding Gringotts everyone seemed to have an opinion and they all were convinced their opinions were right and important. Worse, they weren't evening listening to each other, just shouting louder and louder, determined to be heard. This time, however, I was not going to stand for it; this was my war and my fight, and it was high time everyone acknowledged that fact. Also, I really wanted to avoid the lecture afterwards. Anyone trying to keep me away from my Ginny so as to yell at me would be in for a harsh surprise.

"Be Quiet!"

I received several glares and a few patronising looks that really annoyed me. Mrs. Weasley even patted me on the arm before smiling and saying, "Let us deal with this, dear."

My annoyance caused electricity to spark out of my body. Several large sparks hit the floor causing everyone to jump and look at me in shock.

"Quiet." This time they obeyed, terror evident in many of their eyes. They had seen what I had done to the traitor. "I appreciate your willingness to fight, but this is my decision."

A cacophony of noise erupted around me, and I growled under my breath. It was Dumbledore stepping in that prevented my loss of control.

"Harry is right. He will choose who will stand at his back; he has earned this right." He turned to me and gave a nod.

"Thank you, sir." I turned back to the room. "This will only work with a minimal and battle-ready presence. Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick, Kingsley, Tonks, Remus, and Bill will be the first line of defence. Moody, Mr. Weasley, Jones, Fred, George, Tellering, Stephens, and Curtison will be the second line. And no one will leave this room without an oath of secrecy to me." I turned to see the crestfallen expression on Mrs. Weasley's face. "The rest of you I would like in readiness for the clean-up afterwards. I'm sure we'll need the help then."

* * *

There were murmurs throughout the room, and looks of outright fear were being passed back and forth with the murmurs. Rabastan had just come in to inform them the Master had requested all of their attendance in the throne room in ten minutes; as he was leaving the room he had let slip that the Master was going after Harry Potter and everyone would be accompanying him.

He left behind a terror-filled room.

They had all heard the rumours. Every fight that Potter had shown up at had been a devastating loss. He had left no one alive since receiving his powers this summer, and none of them fancied going up against those odds.

As the time slowly advanced despite overwhelming hope in the room for it to somehow stand still, they gradually made their way to their Lord's presence, each of them trying valiantly to hide their fear. As the Dark Lord looked around at his reluctant troops, it was clear they had not succeeded. The bravest were able to hide everything but the terror in their eyes, but most were visibly shaking at what they knew was coming. None of them expected to return in anything other than a body bag today. It was finally dawning on them just what they had sacrificed for the bit of power that their Lord was willing to share. Suddenly it no longer seemed worth it.

"I am surrounded by terror-filled idiots," Voldemort hissed, his red eyes boring straight to the heart of their fears. "You all believe in the power of the _Chosen One_. Do you honestly think that it was Potter, and Potter alone that caused our recent losses? _Fools_! Potter is weak! You forget that I have fought him twice and both times it was not his own prowess that saved his life—no, he ran away once and hid behind Dumbledore's robes only months ago. He is a coward. Bellatrix, despite her sacrifice, proved that he was not invincible. So we must strike while the iron is hot, while his will is weak! It may seem like Potter is invincible, but we know that he has always had help in his fights and has only won by association." Despite the fact that this contradicted everything they had heard about Potter, they all desperately wanted to believe this. Yes, it was not Potter that had been responsible for some many losses of their friends and allies; it was mostly down to those that helped him constantly. Potter was only lucky. "His blood traitor wife will be useless with the death of her brother, and Potter will be distracted protecting her, and they will be alone. Do you think one mere boy can stand against Lord Voldemort and his finest?" They conveniently ignored the fact that most of the best fighters were already dead at Potter's hands. "I say no! He will be alone and weak, and we will wipe this menace from our land. And with Potter's death the will of the resistance will crumble. We will rule unopposed and finally receive our due in power, wealth, and influence." He looked around at his men, now standing tall in determination. "Today, Potter dies!"

A loud cheer erupted, causing the large snake that rested across Voldemort's throne to hiss in displeasure. It was only when Voldemort dismissed his servants and was left alone that his own terror became visible in his red eyes.

This was his final gambit and he knew it. Either he or Potter would not survive the day, and the Prophecy would be fulfilled.

* * *

It was peaceful here and that was why I chose this place. We could see the Castle far across the lake, but it was far enough to give us privacy; we were just within the edge of the wards, a good hour walk around the lake. We had a picnic spread out before us, but it was mostly for show.

I was ready to end this, and I hoped the target Ginny and I presented was irresistible. There were currently about ten wind elementals, little sylph maidens, spread out keeping a lookout. In the bright sunshine it was nearly impossible to see them, especially to one who was not expecting them. Very few people knew where we were and what we were up to today, and every one of them was under a Vow. Even our friends were completely in the dark, something I fully expected to pay dearly for after this was over. Hermione, especially, would not appreciate being left out of the plan. But they would only have been a liability for my plan. I didn't want to have to worry about hurting friendlies today.

It was really quite simple. Lure Voldemort here, trap him and his followers with a perimeter of battle-ready Order members, and then Ginny and I would unleash the elements. Now we were only waiting to see if Voldemort would cooperate.

In the meantime, I was going to kiss my wife; it seemed like a good use of my time. Ginny was sitting in my lap, her small hands woven throughout my hair and making a thorough mess of it. She pulled away slightly and blinked open her brown eyes.

"I love you, Harry."

I kissed her again before nuzzling my face into her neck, my hands creeping under the back of her shirt. If all went according to plan, I knew I would need the contact to get me through this.

"Promise me it will be okay."

"It has to, love. And we will be able to really start our life together. I can't wait."

She gave a small nod as fire trailed down her cheeks. With a sharp tug I pulled her to rest against my chest. For a long time I just held her as she cried, but eventually she calmed in my arms. The sun was getting high in the sky when a small disturbance in the air drew my attention.

"Master," the ethereal being whispered. "There is a large snake circling you."

"Thank you, we'll take care of it."

I let the wind stir around me until I found the disturbance. Without even dislodging my wife, a bolt left my hand. Nagini screamed when it hit her, and her head reared back in agony. Slowly, I increased the power of each successive bolt until her shriek cut off abruptly; another voice replaced hers briefly, but it, too, died out.

Ginny lifted her head from my chest, her grin nearly feral, before she attacked my mouth. If that was how she wanted to celebrate the destruction of Voldemort's last Horcrux, who was I to argue with her? I was totally lost in her when an insistent cough pulled at my attention. I turned, panting, to see another sylph grinning cheekily at me. Little buggers always got a kick out of catching Ginny and I in an intimate moment.

"Master's enemy approaches. He brings many with him."

"Thank you." I had expected nothing less, and we were ready for this. It was time to end the fighting and the prejudice and the best way to do this was to dispose of them all. This time, no one would be able to buy there way back to respectability.

Ginny and I quickly stood, opening our picnic basket and quickly donning our dragonhide that was stowed inside. When we were fully dressed, a quick wave of my wand shrunk the rest of our things, and I deposited them in my pocket. And then we waited; it would not be long now.

I heard him before I saw him, his low chuckle as he found us seemingly alone and unprotected echoed across the clearing. With a smirk, I sent a gust to pick up the dead body of Nagini and shot it straight into the air. His chuckle cut off when he saw her. I get the feeling that the snake was the only being he had ever really cared about. I wonder if he would miss her, but then dismissed the thought; he would not live long enough to grieve, even if he could.

"Hello, Tom. I believe you misplaced this."

"Potter... You continue to be a nuisance. You will pay for her death."

"Perhaps you should be more careful with your things, Tom. You never know when someone will find them and get rid of them."

His red eyes narrowed to slits. "Foolish boy! You think you can win? Do you believe that two alone, no matter what tricks you possess, can stand against my army and myself? You will fall without Dumbledore's protection."

I laughed. With a brief glance at Ginny to see her nod, we were both airborne.

Tom forgot that there were no survivors from our last fight with his Death Eaters, and so he had no real knowledge of what we could do. Simultaneously, three tornadoes snaked down from the sky. With a gesture, Ginny lit them on fire and their destruction began. I was barely able to spare a glance as Tom's army began to run for their lives, for all my attention was taken up by deflecting his retaliatory strike against my wife.

He seemed to think that if he were to take her out I would fall. He was right, but I had no intention of letting that happen. The wind and I were ready for him, and each of his spells was deflected away, many of them finding purchase in his fleeing men. Finally, his spells stopped, as he seemed to be considering how to best get a spell to actually hit me.

With a final glance at Ginny, I put our plan into action. Gathering up as much energy as I could, I built a fifth and larger storm around Voldemort and me; it was more a miniature hurricane than a tornado, and we were standing in the calm of the eye. His momentary distraction as he looked around in surprise was enough for Ginny, safe on the outside of the storm where the wind had whisked her when Voldemort was distracted, to set Fiendfyre lose. Hungrily, it swirled around the wind, twisting and turning as it looked for victims. Voldemort turned all his efforts towards suppressing it and completely ignored me.

He seemed confused when he could not put it out, and I imagine that he was used to having complete mastery over every aspect of the so-called Dark Arts, but he had never gone up against my Ginny's fire. As an elementalist, she commanded a force that only another elementalist had a chance of manipulating. Carefully, I pulled the storm in, narrowing the eye until it was barely a foot across. Voldemort was trapped by the force of the storm; the wind held him in place as the fire ate away at his body. It seemed to grow stronger as it did, so maybe the Dark Magic holding Voldemort together fed the hungry flames.

I wasn't entirely surprised to see the same spirit that accosted me at the end of first year rise from his ashes. The fire seemed not to harm him in this form, but I was ready for that possibility. Raising both hands to the sky, I called lightning into my own body. Steadily, it built up until electricity was sparking out of me in every direction. Finally, I lowered my hands and released the full force of it at the shade before me. When it connected, the world seemed to explode in a lighting storm, and I knew no more.

* * *

As the first of the fleeing Death Eaters came into view of the waiting Order members, Remus Lupin realised he was about to be in the fight of his life. Running towards him, a sick smile or recognition on his face as he sniffed the air, was the monster that had cursed him as a small child. Steeling himself and sending up a silent plea for Tonks at his side, Remus brought his wand to bear.

Greyback did not pause for taunts; he simply started raining curses down on the one child he was most disappointed in. Remus had never fully accepted the wolf inside, and so he was weak, held back by his human mind. It would be his downfall. Ignoring the curses that the pup was sending his way, Greyback charged, intending to finish this with his bare hands and teeth.

Intent on his charge, Greyback missed the gleam followed by a flash of pain in Remus' eyes. It wasn't until Remus' hand impacted his chest and he felt the thin piece of metal penetrate between two of his ribs and reach his heart that he realised his error. Greyback looked down in shock and briefly noted the burn covering Remus' hand before his surprised eyes found the smoking hole in his own chest and noticed the needle thin protuberance from that same hole.

_Silver._

* * *

Jason Travers knew he had made a mistake. In his twenty-one years he had made many of them, but this one took the Quaffle. If he made it out of this alive, which was looking doubtful, he swore to never again align himself with anyone who promised power and gold—for it simply wasn't worth it.

Of course, he reached this decision as he was fleeing for his life from the scariest bloody thing he had ever seen. The Dark Lord had told him that Potter only had the capabilities to take out one at a time with his lightning bolts—but those cyclones of fire that were chasing him were engulfing people left, right, and centre. Anything that could do that scared him senseless. And so he ran.

What he hadn't counted on were the spells that started to rain down upon him from invisible foes. As a pair of enraged tigers sprang at him from either side, seemingly appearing out of thin air, his last thought was berating himself for ever choosing to follow the idiot who had branded him like cattle.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore had never been prouder in his life. At this distance, he could barely make out the large storms Harry had conjured, but the power displayed awed him. As the swirling cyclones of fire devoured all in their path, he raised his wand to the ready. The Death Eaters were running, trying desperately to reach the edge of the wards before they were caught by the chasing storms. He hoped the few defenders that Harry had allowed to be here would be enough. Minerva, Remus, and Tonks were to his right, with Filius, Kingsley, and Bill on his left. The rest were a hundred paces behind them, providing a second line of defence.

The fight was suddenly upon them, and was ferocious on a level he had never seen before—this time, the Death Eaters were fighting for their lives; not one of them thought they or their Lord would survive the storm behind them.

Ice shot through Albus' heart as a piercing scream cut through the air, but before he could locate the source a huge explosion sent a rush of energy racing across the landscape, knocking him and everyone around him to the ground.

* * *

Minerva McGonagall slowly pulled herself off of the ground groaning in pain the whole time; she just was getting to old for this. She glanced to her right and frowned at the sight of Remus' wound that Nymphadora was frantically treating. That was a silver burn. She turned to the other direction to see Bill helping Albus to his feet while Kingsley tended to Filius. She blanched at the look on the Auror's face, and then blinked back a flood of tears as Kingsley met her eyes and gravely shook his head. Then she anxiously turned her head towards her cubs' location. A healthy breeze was still blowing debris around, but the enormous storms had subsided, and only smoke was left of the flames.

"Minerva?" She turned to Albus, his age showing in every line of his face. "Would you check, please?"

With a sharp nod, she transformed and was off. It had always been the plan that she would be the scout, as the combination of the tall grass and her small form provided some cover as she moved. She passed the smoking forms of numerous downed Death Eaters as she ran. As she reached the edge of the lake, she had to skirt around smouldering pieces of ground until she reached a large crater. Peering cautiously over the edge, her fur standing on end from the charge lingering in the air, she saw a blackened mess and her heart clenched until a flash of red caught her eye. Injured and weaving in exhaustion, Ginny Potter climbed over the edge of the crater and instantly zeroed in on the buried form of her husband.

Quickly, Minerva transformed and hurried down to help. When she reached his side and heard his harsh breathing she closed her eyes in thanks and then brought her wand up, sending a burst of gold into the air. She could hear the cheers from her fellow fighters as it lit the sky.

* * *

Far above the battlefield, the ethereal sylphs were dancing with joy around a beautiful white bird as they celebrated their Master's victory. Their dance was interrupted when the bird screeched and dived towards the earth. When she came back up, her talons were clutched around a tatty grey rat. She hooted in pleasure at her catch; she would leave it for her Master to see once he recovered. She knew he would be pleased. But for now she was going to enjoy watching the wind daughters dance around the golden sparks the cat lady had launched into the air in celebration of her Master's triumph. They were silly things sometimes.

* * *

I woke up in a familiar room, having spent much of the previous summer confined to it. The pleasant tingle spreading through my chest and arms told me before I even looked down that I was holding my wife in my arms. The gentle movement of her fingers as she drew on my chest let me know she was awake. To be honest, I was simply thankful that we were both alive. The pain that I could easily recall shooting through my body was only a memory now, but I distinctly remember wishing to die and hoping that Ginny would be protected and happy without me. I have no idea if our plan even worked, or if Voldemort had found another way to cling to this life. All I know is that I was tired, and deep in my bones I knew that I was done fighting. I wanted to simply focus on making the woman in my arms radiantly happy. I tightened my hold on her in anticipation.

With a brilliant smile, she lifted her head. "Harry."

Before I had time to blink we were engulfed in a raging inferno and she was kissing me.

By the time my higher brain functions returned I had no idea how many times we had loved, only that I was unquestionably the luckiest bloke on earth. It took me a minute to remember what had proceeded this glorious day. "Is he gone?"

She gently brushed my hair off my face. "Yes, love. He can't hurt you anymore."

I closed my eyes in relief. Scared to see her face as I asked my next question, I kept them that way. "Did we lose anyone?"

Her hands faltered in their caress and I knew the answer. "Professor Flitwick didn't make it through the night after the battle. Remus has a severe silver burn and the Healers are concerned that he may never regain full use of that hand, but he claims it was a small price to pay for bringing down Greyback."

I had to swallow before I was able to speak. "Anyone else?"

"No, love."

Finally, my eyes opened to see her large brown ones swimming with tears before me. "Did we get them all?"

She nodded. "Destroying Voldemort sent a blast so strong it knocked everyone to the ground; most of the Death Eaters never got back up again." A large grin lit her face. "And Hedwig has a present for you. She's refused to let anyone near, waiting for you to wake up." My brows scrunched in confusion. "Apparently, he thought that he could escape, and wasn't counting on Hedwig's sharp eyes watching out for a rat."

Ginny's snigger set off my own laugh. I think I was going to have to look into a really nice perch for my faithful owl.

* * *

_Four Years Later_

Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived and Defeater-of-Voldemort, cowered back in fear. For a moment, he forgot that Ginny's fire could not hurt him, and he was terrified. Her fire had devastated the kitchen, the dinner that had sparked her ire had been completely obliterated and only a smoking hole left in its wake. Despite the numerous warnings he had been given, she had shocked him to the core. He had watched as Fleur and Tonks had blasted their way through their pregnancies, laughing hysterically while their husbands endured their ire.

He supposed he should have been expecting Ginny's temper to be even worse.

By the time he got her to calm down, the kitchen was rubble around them and his clothing was non-existent. When Ginny finally looked around at what she had done, she collapsed against him in tears and poor Harry was so confused he could do no more than hold her and try and stop her tears. Stealthily, his right hand crept down until it rested on the small bulge at her waist where his child lay. He was still in awe, and could hardly wait to be able to hold his child in his arms.

Though, based on today, they might want to rethink having the baby at St. Mungo's. The hospital may not survive if Ginny gave birth in its walls. Maybe the Headmaster would let them use their special room at the castle. It might be safer if Ginny's magic was dampened. Harry had the horrible thought that if it wasn't he would have to deliver his own child as no one else would be safe in Ginny's presence during the ordeal.

* * *

A bedraggled Harry Potter emerged in a hastily conjured robe, clutching a squirming infant tightly to his chest. A small tendril of smoke was curling up from his charred hair, and soot was streaked across his arms and face. He beamed around at his eagerly waiting friends and family, and held up the babe for their inspection.

"James Sirius Potter!"

A cheer went up around the room and the baby was snatched from his arms by a gaggle of females. A firm yet scarred hand took his elbow and guided him over to a chair.

"How's Ginny?" Remus asked softly.

"Asleep, thankfully. She's exhausted." He dragged a weary hand through his hair. "The entire room was aflame through the last little bit, and I'm just thankful Madam Pomfrey taught me enough to do this on my own." He looked up into Remus' sympathetic eyes. "I've never seen Fiendfyre so hot."

"She lit the room with Fiendfyre?" Remus asked in shock.

"Yeah. It's a good thing James seems to be as immune as I am," he paused and touched his charred hair. "Though I wasn't completely spared this time."

Remus chuckled. "Did anything else unusual happen?"

"Oh, you mean besides James dousing the room with water?"

* * *

"Ginny, dear, can I come through?"

Ginny turned around to smile at her mother. "Of course, Mum."

Molly Weasley bustled through the fire and immediately gathered her daughter in a tight hug. She pulled back and eyed her daughter carefully. "You are looking very well, Ginny."

The younger woman smiled. "I'm almost back to myself, I think. Harry will be relieved when I allow him to start cooking desserts again."

"Are you sure he is fine doing all the cooking, dear?"

"Oh, he insists. Besides, he's almost as good a cook as you are. My efforts don't even come close and the last time I tried I destroyed the kitchen. He is a little hesitant to let me try again, even though I told him it was just pregnancy hormones."

"Hmm. Now where is that adorable grandson of mine?"

Ginny smiled, impressed that her mother was able to wait so long to ask for him. "He's in his nursery."

"Oh, napping?"

"No, it's his play time right now."

"Ginevra Molly Potter! You left that baby alone? What were you thinking child? He could hurt himself or..."

"Mum! He's got the best possible guardians. He absolutely loves it when they watch him."

Molly eyed her daughter sceptically as she followed her down the hall. She was relieved to hear the happy sounds of baby giggles filtering into the hall. When she opened the door, Molly stopped in shock. The room was full of dancing little beings of fire. They were playing an elaborate game of peek-a-book with baby James.

Ginny smiled. "We have a crowd of them here every morning begging to help with James. They simply adore him."

* * *

_Seven Years Later_

Harry Potter sat contentedly on the porch, watching his children play in the yard. Seven year old James was playing a game of tag with several fire elementals—he scored a point every time he hit them with a small jet of water. Albus (Al) William, at five years old, was a much quieter child. He was playing in his little garden, building rock castles and miniature forests. As Harry watched, Al dug his hand deep into the earth and it rippled around him as it rose to form an intricate wall around him. They had given him the little dirt and rock plot as his own two years ago to keep him from destroying the rest of the yard in his play. He turned with a smile to look at the apples of his eye. His two year old twins Lily Hermione and Guinevere (Gwen) Molly were toddling unsteadily around the yard. Lily had fire running through her red hair, and looked so much like her mother, though with her father's green eyes. His little Gwen was her sister's opposite in looks, though they both had similar temperaments. Her excitement was obvious in the steady wind that was causing a mess in her bouncing black curls.

Each one of his children had manifested their elemental affinity within moments of their birth. None of them were full elementalists. They did not have the control he and Ginny did or many of the abilities, but their accidental magic almost always favoured their element.

As he watched them play happily in the yard, Harry Potter did not think he could be happier. His life was perfect at the moment, and he had every intention of keeping it that way.

* * *

A/N: I am so sorry for how long this took. In addition to computer issues (new computer only two weeks ago that allowed me to finish this) I just had trouble getting what I wanted out of it. But it is definitely complete now. I intend to work on some of my as yet unpublished works for a bit (I am firmly of the opinion that I should never again start posting something until it is complete). I have a short Harry/Daphne in the works, a Harry/Tonks, and a Harry/Hermione. I am also toying with the idea of a prequel to My Slytherin Harry from Harry's POV.

I hope you all enjoyed my little story.


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